My Heart Beats With Yours (male SYOC)
by Abizeau
Summary: Our people think we are snobs just because we're royalty. I read it in the papers one day. But truly we aren't. Maybe in front of a camera we are. But we kind of have to. In front of a camera, we have to be perfect or we're not believable. That's what we thought. Until this happened. This is the story of how being normal people actually saved us. Reviews appreciated, thanks! :)
1. Chapter 1

**\- BEGINNING OF STORY ON PAGE 2 =) -**

 **X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Our people think we are snobs just because we're royalty. I read it in the papers one day. But truly we aren't. Maybe in front of a camera we are. But we kind of have to. In front of a camera, we have to be perfect or we're not believable.

That's what we thought. Until this happened.

This is the story of how being normal people actually saved us.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

THANK YOU everyone for your amazing Characters! here are the 25 boys you guys submitted (in order of submission) =)

 _Oh, and I won't tell here who is eliminated, because Spoilers^^ you'll just have to read the story to know who's gone! ;-)_

1) from Fennley: **Aaron Vaughan** , 19yo, Caste 2: actor - _by Guest_

2) from Allens: **Jerad Carver** , 20yo, Caste 3: in law school - _by Heymemegirl11_

3) from Midston: **Julius Abbot** , 22yo, Caste 3: Professionnal Chess Player - _by Frillabrille201_

4) from Angeles: **Justin Wolf** , 21yo, Caste 2: Professionnal Basketball Player - _by Carrie_

5) from Carolina: **Axel Windsort** , 18yo, Caste 4: carpenter - _by Abizeau_

6) from Sumner: **Kenan Engines** , 22yo, Caste 6: Taxi driver - _by Booki_

7) from Handsport: **Alisdair MacArthur** , 19yo, Caste 5: folk musician - by _scottishfiddlefromengland_

8) from Paloma: **Alec Santiago** , 21yo, Caste 5: Dancer _\- by MissAmeliaYoung_

9) from Likely: **Markus Erikson** , 22yo, Caste 2: actor - _by WiseGirlOnFire_

10) from Clermont: **Theo Barton** , 19yo, Caste 6: Housekeeper - _by WiseGirlOnFire_

11) from Yukon: **Kurt Johnson** , 18yo, Caste 7: Construction worker - _by Guest_

12) from Dakot: **Daxton Hayes,** 20yo, Caste 4: Sous-Chef in an italian Retaurant - _by golden tiaras_

13) from Sonage: **Westley Alton** , 19yo, Caste 5: Violinist - _by golden tiaras_

14) from Zuni: **Hunter Simon** , 18yo, Caste 5: Photographer - _by unremarkable words_

15) from Belcourt: **Tristan Oliver Balckwood** , 21yo, Caste 2: Ambassador-in-training - _by morethanjustastory_

16) from Tammins: **Logan James Castle** , 23yo, Caste 2: Ex-Illéan Soldier/War Hero - _by morethanjustastory_

17) from Columbia: **Axl Chanceford** , 19yo, Caste 2: Heir to his father's company - _by AceSeesYouuu_

18) from Bonita: **Caleb Wesley** , 21yo, Caste 2: Professionnal Swimmer - _by unremarkable words_

19) from Sota: **Adam Gradon** , 19yo, Caste 4: Factory worker - _by Guest_

20) from Ottaro: **Andreas Petto** n, 23yo, Caste 3: Software Designer - _by Frillabrille201_

21) from Calgary: **Evan Collins** , 22yo, Caste 7: Gardener - _by WiseGirlOnFire_

22) from Kent: **Nigel Duchamp** , 21 yo, Caste 5: DJ artist - _by TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo_

23) from Hudson: **Micheal Forest** , 19yo, Caste 4: Hotel manager with his family - _by Guest_

24) from Labrador: **Matt Holliday** , 22 yo, Caste 6: Tailor - _by The Pocketwatch Ripper_

25) from Lakedon: **Fed Hartler** , 20yo, Caste 4: Bodyguard - _by Guest_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Yay, new story! Male SYOC is rare here, but I hope you'll play along... ;-) already 3 amazing Characters have been submitted. Thank you so much! all right, let's get down to business... Oh, and I'll introduce the boys when I have enough of them^^ until then, let's get to know Princess Rosaline a bit, shall we? ;-)**

 _ **Chapter 1**_

« Rosaline, pull yourself together ! » Father called out from his seat on the _Report_ Stage. « This evening is about you. Show our people you're happy about it. »

I rolled my eyes at him, and leaned on my elbow, looking on the opposite side from where he was.

« Don't you roll your eyes at me, Rosaline. » he threatened me with his index finger.

Kate-Lyn was next to me and she smothered a laugh. I stuck out my tongue at her – very childish, I know – and it made her double over with laughter, this time loud enough for everyone in the studio to hear. I smacked her arm and sent her a death stare. She wasn't the one being forced into marrying a total stranger.

At nineteen, I had to have my Selection, so I could be married by twenty. Stupid royal customs. I wished I could at least wait until I was twenty-five, so I could travel the world a bit – maybe be a diplomat or something – and get to find out about the world other than from my father or via books and teachers. I wanted to see the world as it really was. I thought that as the future queen of Illéa I could at least do that. But no.

I was bound to the Palace. Sometimes I felt like a prisoner in a golden cage.

I straightened in my chair and smoothed the wrinkles from my plum-color 50's tea-length dress with my small white gloves. These were my favorites and I wore them with almost anything I had. It was kind of my signature. There was a heart on the back of my hand and a tiny round button closed them at the bottom of the heart. They were antique and had belonged to my great-great-grandmother, Queen Eadlyn Schreave. I cherished them with all my heart. To me, they were even more precious than my tiaras.

« Two more minutes ! » called out the stage director.

I inhlaed deeply and plastered a smile on my face, ready for anything now. I had to be perfect. My outfit was perfect, my shoes were perfect and my hairstyle was flawless. I checked to see it my tiara was still in place and waited. Five, four, three, two, one.

« Hello, hello, Ladies and Gentlemen ! » Everest Layden was his usual excited and bubbly self. « Tonight is a special night. Our own beloved King Semour Schreave has an extraordinary announcement to make. I must admit I don't even know what it is... So, without further ado, King Semour, please join me. »

Father made his way to the Center Stage and sat next to Everest on a second plushy gray armchair.

« Your Majesty, please tell us what this is all about ! »

I kept my smile on my face, because I had feeling that they would be filming me soon after father would annonce the Selection.

« Well, Everest, if you must know, Princess Rosaline decided to have a Selection of her own in the coming months. » I almost choked on my smile. _I decided_? I most certainly did not ! I was forced into this ! I quickly recovered. I heard Kate-Lyn next to me also choke on a laugh. Everest was now looking straight at me. He swallowed. He knew me too well to know I wasn't the one asking for this stupid Selection.

« Princess Rosaline ? Would you come join us ? » His smile was the closest to genuine he could do, since I feared he instantly knew the truth about all this masquarade. I kept my perfect smile and strode proudly to the Center Stage. « Welcome, Princess ! »

« Thank you, Everest. » I mastered the smile, now. I should get a PhD in 'smiles when I'm storming inside'.

« Well, Your Highness ! Who would have thought you would actually want a Selection... »

I snobishly waved his comment away. This was a game I was good at. « There are a lot of things you still don't know about me, Everest, and I have a bag full of delightful tricks. » I chuckled lightly, covering my mouth with my heart gloved hand.

His eyes widened. « Oh, I do not doubt that. Now, tell me. The first Princess ever to have a Selection was your great-great-grandmother, and since then, there were only Princes going on the throne. How do you feel about being the second Princess ever to hold her Selection ? »

I frowned and tilted my head. « Oh, I never realized that I was the second Princess. This changes everything. I think this is going to be a very special time for our country. But can I tell you a secret ? »

He leaned closer, and I imagined everyone in front of his TV doing the same thing. « What ? » he said under his breath.

« With a house full of Princesses, I'm really scared to have boys looming around us for months to come... But then again, a change of scenery is going to be very welcomed. »

Everest supressed a laugh. « I don't doubt it, Your Highness. I have another question for you. Who is eligible for this Selection ? »

« Every young man between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three, and coming from the Castes 2 to 7, will recieve monday morning a form to fill in. They fill it only if they want to. And of course they will be generously compensated for their service to the Crown. Then, in three weeks, I will be drawing one from each Province, Live on the _Report_ , and the Selection will officially start in a month. »

« Wow ! So what will you be doing until then ? »

I looked at father who was still sitting next to us. « Thirty-five rooms must be prepared for their arrival and the Men's Parlor must also be refurbished. »

« But what will _you_ do ? »

« Help for the preparations, of course. What would you want me to do ? »

« I don't know ? Maybe getting new outfits, planning dates, what else ? »

« Everest, you know better than anyone I have everything I need. And want. I won't be getting new things just for the pleasure of having new things. » There, I said it. I let it slip. For a minute, there, I completely forgot about the cameras and the whole country watching. I mentally kicked myself for it. « But I may still be getting one new dress ready for the first _Report_ with the Selected. » Phiew. I saved us.

Everest, who was understanding what I almost did, helped me even more. « You sure will, and I can't wait to see it ! Go make yourself beautiful for those young men ! » Asif that was the only thing I was good at.

I mentally thanked him. He turned to the camera.

« Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, you heard the princess. Get ready for the Selection of the year ! And you, young eligible men, keep a lookout for that Selection form monday morning. I can assure you that the young man Princess Rosaline will choose will be a very lucky man... That's all for tonight, folks ! » The Illéan Anthem played and the cameras were off.

I slumped in my chair and exhaled.

« Wow. »

« Shut up, Kate. »

« No, really Wow. You outdid yourself out there. I thought you would crack up your perfect image for a minute. »

I glared at her. As much as I loved my sister, I hated her in that moment. We were total opposites. I was one year older than her. I was a brunette, she was blond. I had plain brown eyes with a golden rim, she had the most beautiful green eyes. I was short and a slightly bit overweight with nice curves, she was tall and thin, and straight as a wooden board. I had a perfect highheeled gait, she looked like a penguin – I'm only quoting her, here – when she wore heels. I loved vintage clothes, she loved modern. I was a caring person, she was always laughing at you before trying to help you. But we were inseparable. And we had the same humor. We could just look at each other and perfectly understand what the other was silently saying. She was a precious friend and advisor, too.

« Oh, come on, Rose. » She held out her hand and helped me stand. As we were walking to the dining room, mother catched up with us.

« That was a great performance, there, Rosaline. »

I looked at her, thinking I would find mockery on her face. But there wasn't any trace of it. « Really ? »

« Look, I know you don't want to do this. But I'm sure the Illéans were completely excited about it and didn't read between the lines. »

I rolled my eyes – again – and ignored her. I sped up the pace and entered the Dining Room. Father was already there. I sat next to him.

« Well done, Rose. » I ignored him, too.

I slumped on the table and held my head with my hand, playing with my fork with my other hand. I just wanted to go up to my room and take a bath. Stupid Selection. Now I had to oversee renovations in the Palace. The last three Selections hosted girls. The rooms were pink, and I didn't think the boys would feel comfortable with that. I was going to have a lot on my plate these next three weeks. How could I possibly know what a boy would like ? I only had three sisters.

But there is one person I can think about that can help me : Prince Philipp de France. And maybe his brother Frédéric could come too... It would help me get used to having boys around.


	3. Chapter 3

**Guys! I NEED 22 more boys, Please! just copy/paste the form on page 1 and submit a male character in the Reviews or PM. Please? thnk youuuu :]  
**

 _ **Chapter 2**_

« Allô ? »

« Philippe ! Hi ! »

« Rosaline ? Is that you ? » I just loved his french accent. It was a nice change from the posh english I heard around here everyday.

« Yes ! How are you ? »

« Oh, mon Dieu, it's really you ! It's been a long time. »

« Yeah, way too long. Philippe. I need your help. »

« You need _my_ help ? What ever for, Rosie ? »

« Don't call me that. »

He chuckled on the other end of the line. « I couldn't resist. So, what do you need me for ? »

I inhaled deeply. Man, I hated to ask for help. I always did things on my own. But this was too big for me to handle. « My upcoming Selection. »

He choked on something and coughed. « What ? _You_ are having a Selection ? » He burst out laughing. « You're kidding me. »

« Stop laughing, you're making things worse for me than they already are. And no, I'm not joking. My parents forced me on this. You know the Illéan Royal customs : married at twenty. Ugh. »

« My poor Rosie, I'm dreadfully sorry for your loss. »

« What loss ? » I frowned.

« Your freedom, of course ! » He laughed again for a few minutes. If this wasn't about me, I would be laughing with him, too.

« Shut up, Phil. Are you going to help me or not ? »

« Of course I am. You know I'd do anything for you, right ? »

I let out a breath I was holding in. « Thank God ! »

« No, I'm Phil. » I heard the smile in his voice and I laughed.

« Thank _you_. »

A few days later, as I was daydreaming – I have a tendency to do that a lot – I saw a black limo enter the graveled path and I ran down the stairs and bolted out the huge mahogany doors. This absolutely was not protocol or proper etiquette, but I was so eager to see him. I stopped short at the top of the stone stairs and waited for the car to stop. A butler opened the door and a very handsome young man in a blue suit emerged from the vehicle.

I smiled from ear to ear and descended the steps as fast as my status of a Princess would allow me to. He opened his arms for me and I ran into them without any hesitation. Philippe was the brother I never had, and I the sister he never had. We both knew, growing up, that, as Heir to our respective thrones, we would have to marry someone from our own country. So we loved each other like siblings or cousins would. There was no misunderstanding between us. Thank goodness !

« Rosie ! » He kissed me on both cheeks like the French do – 'la bise' – and I smacked his arm for calling me 'Rosie'. I hated that name, and he knew it. That's what I'm talking about : sibling love.

I took his hand and led him up the stairs into the entrance foyer. My parents and my sisters were waiting for him, following protocol and etiquette to the letter. I blushed and mumbled something before lining myself between Kate-Lyn and Rachel. Rachel was always crazy around boys. I was suddenly fearing what would happen with her in the middle of thirty-five of them. I would have to find a solution to this. I had three weeks.

« Welcome to Illéa, Philippe ! » Father said, extanding his hand to the Prince. « And thank you for helping out Rose. »

« Not a problem, Your Majesty, I- »

« Philippe, call me Semour, please. »

Philipp smiled and nodded. « Very well, Semour. I still have no idea at what she needs help with, » he sent me a side glance, « but I'll be happy to help with whatever I can. »

I blushed and smiled sheepily at him. I wanted to go hide myself and never come out again.

« Philippe, you must be hungry and exhausted after your journey. What do you want to do first : sleep or eat ? » My mother, always the practical one.

« I'll eat first, thank you. Then I'll sleep until tomorrow morning and I'll be fit as a fiddle to work. »

« Very well. » The Queen turned to a maid. « Nora, please send dinner to His Majesty's suit. »

« Yes, Your Majesty. » Nora curtsied and went to her task.

« Feel free to retreat to your suit whenever you wish. Make yourself at home. »

« Thank you, Beatrix. » My mother smiled and Philippe headed for his suit, on the third floor, at the end of the Western Wing. I saw him supress a yawn and it made me laugh. I couldn't believe he just flew thousands of miles just because I called for help. A true gentleman.

Rachel exhaled so loudly that I turned around to look at her. She was daydreaming again.

« Rachel, we need to talk. »

She jumped at her name. « What ? »

« We need to talk. » I took her wrist and Kate's, too, and led them to the Women's Room. I pushed them in and closed the door behind me. « Alright, sit. Both of you. »

They looked at each other and obeyed. I stood in front of them, my arms crossed. « You two are well aware that a Selection – _my_ Selection – is going to take place here in a few weeks. » They nodded. « The boys – men, whatever – who are coming are mine. » I pointedly stared at Rachel. « That means no flirting, no eyelash fluttering, no touchy. Understood ? » Rachel swollowed and nodded. Kate-Lyn glared at me with a lifted eyebrow. « Rachel. If there is even the slightest thing coming from you, I'm sending you to France until the end of the Selection. »

« To France ? But why ? Why not to grandma's or somewhere else in _Illéa_? »

« Think of the handsome Prince Frédéric. Neither of you are bound to marrying someone from your country. »

One of the corners from Rachel's mouth lifted in a half smile. « Yeah... You know what ? When Philippe flies back to France, I'm going with him. I'll follow your Selection like everyone else : on TV. »

I frown and I glance at Kate. She's frowning, too. Apparently, this is not how she was expecting Rachel to react to this. Neither did I, to be honest.

« Rachel, you're serious ? »

« Why not ? I mean, Prince Frédéric is pretty hot. And he's two years older than me, it's perfect. »

« Rachel, you're fifteen. And there are not only looks in life, you know ? »

« Yeah, says the girl who's gonna have thirty-five handsome boys thrown at her ! » She stood and stormed away, slaming the door shut.

« That was nicely handeled, Rose. »

I pleadingly looked at Kate and let myself fall on the couch next to her. « Ugh. What am I going to do ? »

« Well, you'll definitely need my help, too. That is, if you're not sending _me_ to France, too. »

« No. I would be totally lost without you. As much as I need Philippe now, before the boys come, I need you afterwards, when the Selected are here. I may be needing a second pair of eyes. » I winked at her and burst out laughing.

« A second pair of eyes ? No. What you need is thirty-five hearts, one for each one of those guys, so you don't have to choose. Unfortunatly, you only have one, and I'm not giving you mine. »

« Huh. Why do we even only have one of those ? It would come in handy to have more than one. Like if you got emotionnaly hurt once, you could just throw it away and start with a brand new one. Remember the video games we played with Phil and Fréd when we went on vacation in France when we were little ? We had several hearts in those games. »

« They were _lives_ , Rose. When you die you get a new one. »

« Yeah. But still, it would be nice to have a few hearts in store. »

« You should invent that and patent it. Make people pay millions to get a spare one. You would be rich in no time. »

« Ha. Ha. Very funny. I'm gonna get prepared for dinner. »

« Sure. »

I stood and headed out the door, up the stairs and straight to my room. Anna was waiting for me, preparing my bath with rose petals. I smiled at the pink scented water with petals floating on it. This was going to be perfect to relax tonight. « Aww, thank you Anna. Your read my mind : I do need to relax. How much time do I have before dinner ? »

« An hour, My Lady. Thirty minutes in the bath and thirty to get dressed and do your hair. »

« Perfect. What would I do without you ? »

« You'd always be late, My Lady. » She giggled.

I giggled, too. « It was a rhetorical question. Bur you're right. I would forget myself all the time. »


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey y'all! thanks for the 4 handsome boys submitted so far... I still need 21 others. The Selection Draw will be in the next Chapter, so I need these guys pretty quick =] Thank you! ^^  
**

 ** _Chapter 3_**

"All right, Sleepy Head. Where do we start?"

I slowly pushed the covers away from my face, but pulled them right back up as someone was opening the curtains and blinding me with the early morning sun. I mumbled something under the covers.

"What, I can't hear you."

"Go away, Phil. I'm not finished sleeping."

"Yes you are. You've got thirty-five boys coming in three weeks, we have work to do. What ever that work is." He stripped the covers from my bed and I was left there in my foetal position, covering my eyes from the light.

"How dare you do that!" I threw a pillow at him. "What if I slept naked?"

He chuckled. "Well, that would have been a pleasant surprise. But I know you don't. Now come on." He grabbed my ankles and pulled me from my bed. He stopped pulling just when I was about to fall.

"Ugh. Are you always that gentle with girls?"

"Nope, only with you."

I made a face at him and rang for Anna. She was here in a record time. "My Lady, is everything all right?"

"Yes. This monkey, here, woke me up, so we'd better get started."

She looked at Phil and I saw her suppress a laugh. He winked at her and made himself comfortable on the bed. "Wake me up when you're ready. I have a feeling this is going to take some time." He yawned and reclined on my pillows, putting an arm over his eyes. He was really going to sleep here! I couldn't believe it!

Anna took my wrist and led me to the bathroom. "Let's surprise him with a very quick readying, My Lady."

I smiled mischievously and nodded. A quick shower helped me to be totally awake. I tied a huge messy bun on the top of my head and then I slipped in a pair of fancy pants and a light blouse. I didn't want to have a skirt in my way that day. I slipped in some comfortable heels – yes, they exist – and glanced at the clock: fifteen minutes. Now that was a record. I filled a glass of an inch of water and silently walked to Phil sleeping on my bed. He had awakened me this morning, I would do the same.

I splashed the water in his face. He jerked awake with wide eyes. "What the-"

I was laughing hard. "That was for waking me up and taking off my covers."

He glared at me and sat on the edge of the bed, drying his face with his sleeve.

"Yeah, I love you, too, Rosie."

We went down to the Dining Room for breakfast. Like everyday, it was a buffet and we could come at anytime we wanted. Well, Father and I always came early because we had work to do. Mother had breakfast in her bed, and the three other Princesses took their time. The buffet was served until 10 a.m. It was 7 a.m. and Father was not here yet. We both filled our plates with pancakes, waffles, maple syrup, strawberries, croissants, and filled our cups with coffee. We would need it.

We gobbled up the waffles. "So, what's the plan?"

I swallowed what I was chewing. "Well, we have to refurbish the thirty-five Selected's rooms, along with the Men's Parlour."

Phil stopped eating and glared blankly at me. "You made me come all the way here to do interior decoration? You're joking."

I bit my upper lip and looked at my food. "No."

He shook his head. "You're impossible!"

"But let me just show you the rooms. You'll understand."

He sighed. "Fine. Let me just finish my breakfast, first."

We ate in silence. When we were both finished, I led him to the second floor. I opened the door to the first room we came across.

Phil's eyes widened. "Oh."

The room was all pink and white. The walls and curtains were pink; the bed was made of fancy white wrought iron. All the furniture was white; the floor was made of light brown wood, with a dusty pink rug laying on it. Three generations of Selected young Ladies had come here, dreaming about a future life with the Prince.

"Um… All the rooms are like this?"

"Yeah. They're all identical."

"Well then, we have a lot of work to do."

I looked at him. "You're not backing away?"

"What? No. Why would I? I told you I would help you, and I will." I hugged him.

"Thank you." He hugged me back. "Let me just get a notepad and a pen, I'll be right back." I scrambled to my room for the desired objects and came back. He was sitting on the bed, bouncing up and down.

"I'm testing the mattress. We'll need new ones."

I wrote that down. _'New mattresses'_ "I don't know how long these have been here. Maybe sixty years. Since the first woman Selection after Queen Eadlyn's."

"Sixty years?! Get rid of them."

The morning was spent writing down what needed to be changed. Almost everything: beds, mattresses, curtains, wall paint, rugs,… I refused to write down _new furniture_. We would just paint them brown.

"What are you going to do with thirty-five white beds? Throw them away?"

"No way. I'm going to donate them to an orphanage or a school or a hotel, or something. They're still in really good condition." I wrote down _donate_ on my paper.

We chose to paint the rooms in the Eastern Wing in different hues of blues, and the rooms in the Western Wing in hues of greens. Brown wooden beds would replace the white ones, along with beige curtains and rugs. I wanted to put some more colour, but Phil thought it better to keep it neutral. So I obeyed. He knew better than me. I gave orders to the decorators Father hired for me, and they would be answering only to me for the next couple weeks.

Then we went to the Men's Parlour. It hadn't been used since my great-great-grandmother's Selection. Everything was covered in dust, but the room had a little vintage-y charm.

"Don't change anything here. I think the room has a nice charm. But I would add a few things, though."

"Like what?"

"A pool table, table soccer, a table with things to eat and drink all day, a ping-pong table, I don't know."

Yeah, I like that. I might even come play with them!"

"Yeah right. If this is like the Women's Room, you're not going to be allowed in here."

"Oh. I forgot about that. I'll change the rules about this room." I smiled mischievously and walked away, writing what we had just talked about.

We worked all week, overseeing what was being done to the rooms and Parlour.

Friday evening came in too quickly with a _Report_. Of course, Prince Philippe was a surprise guest and Everest took delight in peppering him with questions about why he was here and what we did together and if he was going to stay during the Selection. I think Everest was a bit disappointed when Phil told him we had only been overseeing the renovation work in the Palace, and that he would be going back to France soon.

During the second week of his stay, the rooms were all finished. There were still some details to go through – beddings, objects to put in the rooms, etc – and finally, the Wednesday evening, two days before the Live Draw of the Selection on the Report, we were done. It was 11 p.m. and we just went to bed without even celebrating.

I was so happy to be able to sleep in after all this tedious work. But when I looked at the clock when I woke up, it was 7.30 a.m. Ugh. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was useless. After twenty minutes of turning and tossing around, I got up. I opened the curtains and a blinding light entered the room.

June 23, a perfect summer day. I decided I would be spending the day outside by the swimming pool, getting my tan ready for the Selection. I rang for Anna and ordered my breakfast in my room. I wouldn't bother with a dress today. My bathing suit would be my outfit for the day. I braided my waist length hair and twisted it into a bun high on my head. I hastily spread sunscreen on my body and slipped on a light beach dress over my swimsuit, put my sunglasses on and headed for the stairs and the garden doors.

Turning around a corner, I bumped into Philippe.

"Hi. Where are you going?" he said with sleepy eyes.

"To the swimming pool. I think we deserve a day off, don't you think?" I winked at him.

He smiled and lifted an eyebrow. "We sure do. I'll join you in a moment." He ran up the stairs to his room and I went outside. The weather was perfect.

I took off my dress and reclined on one of the lounging chairs, closing my eyes. I decided I'd spend the day doing absolutely nothing. It was a rare thing in my life, at this point. But I needed to relax before the Draw the next evening. I dozed off for a few minutes, when I heard someone come. I opened an eye.

"Oh, hey Kate."

"Rose, you've been missing out this swimming pool for two weeks! Look how tan I am!"

I took off my sunglasses to see better. "Tan? You're red. Did you put sunscreen?"

"Of course I did! And I'm not red!"

"Yes you are. Between you and me, I have the best skin for tanning. Don't put a pink dress tomorrow night. You'll look terrible."

She humpfed and crossed her arms over her chest, reclining on the chair next to me.

"I love you?" I chuckled under my breath. I loved to tease her. She was always jealous of my skin. At least I had something she couldn't have. It made me kind of happy.

"Shut up, Rose."

"What are you two talking about?" Phil's voice resonated above our heads.

I opened my eyes and saw him looming over us. He walked around us, threw his towel on a nearby chair and walked to the diving board. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. Kate apparently did the same, because I heard her say: "Oh. My. God."

Phil spread his arms and looked at us. "What? You've never seen a man in a swimsuit?" and he bomb dived toward us, splashing everywhere, soaking us almost to the bone.

But we didn't mind. Looking at a half naked and wet blond and blue-eyed French Prince was spellbinding and we forgot to complain about being wet. I realized it had been a long time since I had seen a handsome man in a swimsuit.

Phil burst out laughing. "I can't even begin to imagine you two girls surrounded by thirty-five boys in swimwear. I wish I could stay longer just to see what would happen and laugh."

Kate and I looked at each other and nodded. This was an excellent idea.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yep, the Selection Draw is happening. you'll get to know a few of the guys. I still need more if you want to submit a character (or two^^). I won't overwhelm you with all the Selected at once. we'll get to know them along the line ;-) Thanks for reading and reviewing! tell me what you think!  
**

 ** _Chapter 4_**

It was time. My hands were sweaty and shaky. My heart rate was faster than usual. Tonight, in front of the whole country, I would be seeing, for the first time, my future husband hidden amongst thirty-four other men. The mere thought was overwhelming. I paced the floor in the hall near the _Report_ studio. My dress was too tight, my feet had swollen in the June Angeles heat and were crushed by my favourite pair of heels. I felt betrayed. They were only a pair of shoes, but still. And I felt something was amiss. I couldn't say what it was. I continued pacing the floor, and I heard the stage director call five more minutes.

My gloves! I couldn't go through this crazy evening without them. I hurried up the three floors to my room and tried to open the pinewood box where I aways kept them locked. I was panting hard and my hands shook so hard I couldn't put the key inside.

"Anna!" I screamed. Nothing. "Anna!" Louder this time. I heard footsteps in the hall. It was Maggie, my eleven years old 'baby sister'.

"Rose? What's wrong?"

"Open this box for me, please." I handed her the key and stepped away. She slipped the key in without a problem and clicked open the box. "Thank you!" I grabbed my gloves and planted a kiss on the top of her head before gripping her wrist and leading both of us downstairs.

"Two minutes! Where is the Princess?" The stage director was totally stressed out, I could see it.

"I'm here!"

"Ugh, thank goodness. Please go sit in your chair, Your Highness."

"Yes, sir." I quickly walked to my seat, pulling on my lucky charm vintage gloves. My gown was not the most practical to sit in – the skirt was so huge – but it was a beautiful turquoise colour and it was strapless. I smoothed the wrinkles and waited.

"Twenty seconds, everyone." The last ones still standing rushed to their seats. Philippe was still here, but in the audience this time. I needed a familiar face to look up to in case I froze or anything. I really owed him more than one, now. He had come to my rescue and was still here.

I gazed around me, taking in the view: thirty-five huge bowls were placed in a large circle. I couldn't do this. I was getting cold feet. No! Not now!

"Five seconds!"

I focused on breathing slowly.

"Three, two, one, action."

I plastered that mastered smile on my face and watched as Everest took place in the Centre Stage while the National Anthem played on the image of the Illéan emblem. Two plush gray armchairs were set in the centre of the circle of bowls and he sat in one of them. The Anthem ended.

"Good evening! Oh my goodness! I'm so excited to be here tonight and witness, with you, the Selection Draw." He clapped his hands really fast while stomping his feet on the ground fast, too, like a little girl on a Christmas morning. I shook my head and laughed. I had to show the people that I was enjoying myself tonight.

"All right, all right!" The crowd in the audience was cheering and clapping. They were as excited as Everest. "I know we all are very eager to see who Princess Rosaline will pick from the bowls, but King Semour has a couple announcements to make."

Father strode down the stage in the middle of the circle and talked about budget and other things, but I wasn't listening. My heart beat was twice as fast as normal and my vision was getting blurry. I cramped my hands on the armrests of my chair and closed my eyes, hoping no camera would be aiming at me at this moment. Maggie, who was next to me, put her hand on mine and I exhaled. I didn't realize I was holding in my breath.

Father came back and Everest stood. "I hope you are all ready for what is coming, folks. Gentlemen of Illéa, if you submitted your form for the Selection, do pay attention. Your name might be called tonight..." He wiggled his eyebrows and burst out laughing. "Right." He turned to me. "Princess Rosaline? Would you come join me, please?"

I nodded, my perfect smile still on my face and slowly walked near Everest. I couldn't back out, now. I had to do it. Everything was ready. Everything except for me. Everest took my gloved hand and kissed the back of it.

"Princess, please tell me this the new dress you promised me?"

"It is, yes! I'm amazed you remembered..."

"Oh, I would not forget this... You look like an ancient diety coming from your secret kingdom from under the sea. That colour!" He kissed his fingers and sent the kiss in the air. "Well, are you ready?"

I smiled and nodded, but I was sure my eyes said something else.

"All right. Start with any bowl you want. Pick an envelope and open it. Read the name and Province, and place the picture here." He pointed to a small table with a camera looming over it, "The bowl you've picked from will be taken away and you can place the opened envelope in this empty bowl here." He pointed to it. I hadn't seen there was an empty bowl. I inhaled deeply and strode to the first bowl.

"Wait." I walked away from the bowls and headed to my family. "Maggie is going to pick the envelopes for me." Maggie's eyes widened and a beautiful grin split her cute baby face in two. She jumped from her seat. On the screen, I saw my two other sisters glaring unbelievingly at what just happened. Oh, well. Too late to undo anything, now.

She skipped around the circle, clearly enjoying herself. Finally, after two full rounds, she stopped in front of a bowl, plunged her arm up to her shoulder in the bowl and retrieved an envelope from the bottom. She handed it to me with a proud smile.

I swallowed, still smiling, and took the paper from her hands. I delicately opened it. I was doing everything slowly, tonight. And I read the name.

"From Fennley: Aaron Vaughan, Caste 2." I looked at the picture. He had straight brown hair and turquoise blue eyes that shone of kindness, but his jaw line was sharp and angular. I admit I may have glared a little bit longer than necessary. Maggie jerked the picture away from my hands and put it on the table under the camera for the whole country to see. I gazed at the picture on the screen, loosing myself in those beautiful eyes.

But Maggie was already ahead of me and shoved the next envelope in my hands. I took it and opened it. I slipped the paper out and read the name.

"From Allens: Jerad Carver, Caste 3." I didn't have time to look at the picture. Maggie took it and placed it under the camera for all of us to see at the same time. This young man also had brown hair, and I covered my mouth to smother a laugh. The flip of his hair was hilarious, but definitely his signature. I couldn't imagine him without it, now. He had deep sea green eyes. Beautiful eyes.

The image disappeared, as Maggie placed it in the envelope again and dumped it in the not-anymore-empty bowl. She scurried to another bowl and retrieved an envelope and gave it to me. It was a game to her. For me, it was my life. But I had to play along. I ripped the envelope open, Maggie's excitation catching up with me. And I read yet another name.

"From Midston: Julius Abbot, Caste 3." I gave the picture to Maggie before she could take it away. The image that appeared on the big screen was heart melting. His black wavy hair and rich chocolate brown eyes, framed with thin glasses, invited anyone to confide in him, although he wasn't smiling. He was so serious! I wonder what he was thinking about when the picture was taken.

Maggie took the picture away and ran to pick another one. This wasn't going fast enough for her and she was trying to speed up things. I tore opened the paper, eager to see the next picture. This was beginning to be really exciting. I read the name.

"From Angeles: Justin Wolf, Caste 2." This time I put the picture under the camera and I gazed at the screen. I knew cameras were filming me, trying to catch my reactions. So I tried to be as emotionless as possible. But it was hard. The blond hair and blue eyes of Justin Wolf would melt even the most terrible villain. His neck and shoulders were broad and muscular and I could easily imagine the rest of his body to be also muscular. I let a small smile slip away.

Okay, now I was getting excited. I put the picture back in the envelope while Maggie picked a fifth one. She picked two from the same bowl and handed them to me, grinning.

"Pick one."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. I picked the one in her left hand and tore it open. I peeked at the picture before reading the name. Oh. My. Goodness. But before I could say anything else, Maggie took the picture from me. "Read the name!"

I shook my head to clear it and read the name.

"From Carolina: Axel Windsort, Caste 4." Maggie was gazing at the picture, lost in her own thoughts. I walked to her and took the image from her hands and laughed. "Sorry, everyone. But you'll understand when you see the picture." I laid the image under the camera and I heard the women in the audience gasp. The thick wavy chestnut hair paired with gray eyes was spellbinding. His smile seemed to be truly genuine and I really was looking forward to meet him and hear what kind of voice went with the person.

After that, I couldn't focus anymore. Names, pictures, Provinces and Castes all mixed together. I would have to come back to these forms calmly later. For now, all I did was read the names and hand the pictures to Maggie. I gave the cameras genuine reactions to the images but they immediately erased themselves from my memory.

"From Sumner: Kenan Engines, Caste 6." Black hair, brown eyes. That's all my mind could register.

"From Hansport: Alisdair MacArthur, Caste 5." Dark brown messy hair and blue-green eyes, I wasn't sure.

"From Paloma: Alec Santiago, Cast 5." Stylishly messy black hair and hazel eyes framed by dark lashes.

"From Likely: Markus Erikson, Caste 2." A dark gaze was surrounded by dark blond hair and dark gray eyes. Gave me goosebumps.

"From Clermont: Theo Barton, Caste 6." Pale blond hair brought out his brown eyes perfectly well.


	6. Chapter 6

**All right! thanks for the 15 incredible boys so far! I still need ten, though. thanks for your help! do you like Rosaline? and Philippe? and the others? who's your favourite Character so far?**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

Thirty-five names came and went that night. Everest asked me how I was feeling after the Draw, but I don't even remember what I said. I was floating on a little cloud, not really realizing what was happening. A thought kept coming into my mind, though: _'Who of those young men was going to be my husband?'_ I guess I would have to be the one doing the choosing. I hoped they'll help me decide, because just seeing them, I could easily imagine all of them with a crown. But nope, I would have to choose only one. Tough life.

The next part of the evening passed in a blur. Diner was tasteless and I played with my food, pretending to eat.

"So, did I do a good job?"

I turned to see who was talking, because even the familiar voices of my family were foreign to me, then.

"Of course you did, Mags." I smile and nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, about that." Rachel cut in. "I can't believe you actually asked _her_ to do it. Why not me? Or Kate?"

"Although you should have been the one to do it in the first place, Rose." Kate said in an even tone.

I looked at my sisters in turn. "I couldn't do it. I was getting dizzy and nauseous."

"Well _I_ think you made a good choice, sweaty." Mom piped in. "Maggie was beyond happy to do it. Beside, the whole country loves her, she made it look like a huge game to everyone."

"Beatrix, the Selection is not a game." Father said reproachfully. "You, more then anyone, should know that."

"All right, that's it. I'm finishing dinner in my room." I took my plate and silverware and left the room. I wasn't really walking straight, but I managed to find my room nonetheless. Couldn't they wait a couple days to talk about this? It was my life they were meddling with, here. And as much as I was excited to reveal the names and the pictures of the Selected, now I was dreading what was coming. I lost myself during the report and practically forgot this was about me. Mom was right. Mags had turned it into a huge game, even for me. But not anymore.

 _Knock-knock._ "Can I come in, Rosie?"

I sighed. "Yeah." I was sitting on the floor, leaning on the side of my bed, my plate on the floor next to me, untouched.

"You forgot your glass of wine. You might need it tonight." He also brought his dinner and his glass, and sat on the floor, too.

I chuckled and took the full glass from his hand. "Thanks, Phil. I can't believe you're still here." I shook my head in amazement.

"Now would be the worst time to leave you alone. Your future is being played right now."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"Let's drink to your future Selection, and your future husband." he lifted his glass.

"Whoever that might be." I lifted my glass and clinked it to his.

"Cheers." we both said at the same time and burst out laughing. We took a sip.

"You know what? Screw fancy drinking." and I downed the glass in one gulp and put the glass back down.

"Oh. You want to play that game? Fine." He downed his wine and dried his mouth with the back of his hand. "Screw Royalty tonight."

"Yes please! Oh, do you have the rest of the bottle, too?"

"Uhm, no."

"Okay, let me call Anna." I pressed the button on my nightstand and rang for her. She came not two minutes later. "Jeeze, Anna, you're fast."

"Is everything all right, My Lady?"

"Oh, yes, everything." I giggled and looked at Phil. "We just need a new bottle of wine. Would you mind getting one for us? Please?" I smiled at her my most girly smile and fluttered my eyelashes. Philippe burst out laughing.

"Are you sure this I a good idea, My Lady?"

"Of course. I always have the best ideas in the world. And if someone asks, just tell them I threatened to fire you." A horrified look came across her eyes. "Oh, I would never do that. You know that." I waved the thought in front of me. "Just get a bottle, Anna. Pretty please?" What was wrong with me? Was I already giddy after only one glass of wine? Ha. I wonder what I would look like after another bottle. Anna curtsied and walked away with the task at hand.

"Wow, you're very persuasive, Rose."

"Yeah I know. So tell me: which boy did you prefer?"

"Um, hello? I like girls, remember. I'm not gay."

"So what? I can find girls pretty. Why couldn't you find guys pretty, too?"

He eyed me suspiciously. "All right. The one that comes to mind is Hunter Simon – look who remembers the name, huh – with dark brown hair and blue eyes. I don't know, I think that complexion is pretty awesome. I'm blond with blue eyes... pretty cliché."

"Says who?"

He shrugged. "Me, Frédéric, the French people, everyone."

"And you listen to that crap?"

"Sometimes."

Anna came in with a bottle of French Bordeaux. "There you go, My Lady. No one asked."

"Thank you so much. Oh, and I don't want to be bothered until tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Ma'am." She smiled, curtsied and left us. Phil was already filling our glasses and handing mine to me.

"Thank you, Your Clichéd Majesty."

He made a face. "You're welcome, Your Soon-to-be-married Majesty."

"Shut up." We clinked our glasses together again and drank. Bordeaux was my favourite wine, and Anna knew it. Note to self: properly thank Anna when I'm sober.

We drank, talked, laughed and I don't remember much more of what happened next.

When I woke up in the morning, my head hurt so much, I thought the light was screaming at me. I groaned and pulled the covers over my face. But something was holding them back. My eyes jerked open and I turned my head to the right. Phil was sleeping in his underwear, half naked, next to me, soaking his pillow – my pillow! – with his saliva. Eww!

I checked under the covers to see how _I_ was dressed. I was in my underwear, too. What on earth happened last night?

"Good morning, love." he said, opening his eyes and smiling mischievously at me.

I backed away, covering myself with the covers I was able to pull away from him. "Phil. What happened last night? Please tell me we didn't have sex." I was breathing fast and dreading the answer. I closed my eyes.

He burst out laughing, and it made my head hurt even more. I covered my ears and fell on the bed. I waited for his answer. But it didn't come. I lifted my head and looked at him.

He chuckled again. "Of course not, Rosie. I'm just much better used to drinking wine than you are. You passed out after your third glass. I carried you on the bed and undressed you. I thought that dress would be terrible to sleep in. I couldn't find your pyjamas. And I couldn't leave you alone, passed out in your bed. So I stayed and fell asleep."

I sighed and fell on my pillow again. "Thank God."

"Why would that be so terrible if we had?"

"Duh. You know the Illéan law. No sex out of wedlock. I may be the Princess, but I'm not above the law. And besides, I'm going to have sex only with my husband. Once we're married."

"Ha. Cliché."

"I know." I groaned under my pillow. "But if I start sleeping with all the Selected, I'll be considered a hoe. And you know that. And none of them is going to keep their mouth shut for ever. So everyone will know. No, the best way to guarding my reputation is to follow a law and a cliché."

"Well, you know what, I think that's very brave to stand up for that. I'm sure a lot of young women disregard the law, in Illéa."

"Of course they do. Do you know how many pregnant unmarried women are in prison, right now?" He shook his head. "You don't want to know." I sat at the edge of my bed, turning my back to him. "Did you... did you ever do it?"

"A few times. But trust me. I felt terrible afterwards. The girls were daughters of diplomats or other political men. I'm never going to see them again. So yeah. I'm thinking of waiting for my wife, too." he chuckled. "But not necessarily for _after_ the wedding." He crawled next to me. "You still have a headache?"

I nodded. He walked to the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. "Here, drink this, it'll help. And no more sex talk with me, please, it's awkward."

I looked at him and chuckled. "Yeah, definitely awkward." I drank the water and headed for the shower. When I came back, he was gone. I rang for Anna and waited in my bathrobe. She came in a few minutes later

"Good morning, Anna."

"Good morning, My Lady. How are you feeling?"

"Better, after a shower. Oh, by the way, thanks for the Bordeaux." I smiled.

She smiled, too. "I knew it was your favourite. So, what's the plan for today? What do you want to wear?"

"Ugh, I don't know. Just give me something fancy, but comfortable."

"Very well." She came back from my walk-in closet, where two hundred dresses were waiting to be worn, with a pale blue tea-length 50's day dress. I slipped into it and let her do whatever she wanted with my hair. I closed my eyes as the brush massaged my head.

 _Knock-knock-knock._ "Who is it?" I said, still relaxing under Anna's expert touch.

"Kate, Rachel and Mags, you idiot. Who else?" Kate said, opening the door. "Look what we brought!"

I opened my eyes and looked at their reflection in the mirror. Rachel and Mags were pushing a rolling cart with breakfast on it, and Kate-Lyn was carrying a huge glass bowl filled with envelopes.

"We're gonna spend all day reviewing the boys with you. So we might as well start now, with breakfast!" Mags enthusiasm was so catchy. I laughed and as soon as Anna was done with my hair I stood and hugged my baby sister.

"Who's idea was this?"

"Mine".

I lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "Well, Rachel, that doesn't surprise me at all." We all laughed and sat on the floor. We each took at plate and started to dig in. I hadn't eaten anything the previous night, so I was ravenous. Kate emptied the bowl on the floor and spread the envelopes.

"All right. Let's do this! But be careful not to mix up the entries..."


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a pretty long chapter, sorry! but I couldn't stop writing ;-) so, you've kinda met most of the boys right now (at least we know what they look like), but I still need 5 or 6 more, and you'll get to know them later on, when i'll recieve those submissions ;-) hehehe so it's up to you who's gonna be introduced to you next ;-) thanks for reviewing and following and favouriting, guys! Yay!  
**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

"Ooooh, look at this one ! He's so gorgeous with his dark green eyes. It says here he's a Chef." Rachel was taking one envelope after the other, forgetting to eat.

"Too bad you're going to be in France, right?" I smirked.

She made a face and stuck her tongue out. "You're such an evil whore."

"Woah, watch your language!" Maggie was always the perfect little girl. We all jumped at her at the same time and tickled her. Tickle war was on, and Maggie had absolutely no chance against us three. "No! Stop it!" Maggie was helpless under our fingers, laughing endlessly. "Please! Have mercy!" When I saw she really couldn't breathe anymore, I ordered everyone to stop. Maggie was panting and trying to catch her breath, but was still giggling.

"Okay, so what's the Chef's name?" I asked, trying to memorize the ones we had already been through.

"Daxton Hayes." read Rachel and she handed me the envelope.

I read the full entry. "Well, I have to say he is kinda cute."

"Are you crazy? He's dashing!" Rachel countered.

"Let me see." Kate pulled the picture from my hands. "No, he is not cute. Rachel's right: he is quite dashing. I wonder what kind of Chef he is. Oh! You could have a date with him in the kitchens where he shows you how to cook!"

"No way. I would make a fool of myself. All I know to do is scramble eggs and boil water for tea." We all burst out laughing. "No seriously, it would be a disaster."

"What about if he makes you dinner?" Maggie jumped in the conversation, finally breathing normally again.

"What if I don't even like him?"

"Rosaline. A handsome boy like that cannot be disliked, please. Have some decency!" Rachel was always being the professional about boys. But she never dated anyone. Except in her dreams, maybe.

"Whatever. Pick another one."

Maggie chose one this time. "Huh. Kurt Johnson, Caste 7. He's cute too, but he looks really thin. Look how his cheekbones come out!"

"Well, he's a 7, so he might be poor, you know." I took the envelope and read it. "It says he's a construction worker. So I think he still might be strong, even if he's thin." And I smiled to myself. He had brown hair and blue eyes, just what Philippe liked in Hunter Simon.

"Oh, here's another one: Tristan Oliver Blackwood. Ha. Do you think you'll have to call him Tristan Oliver? He's a Caste 2, and he's an Ambassador-in-training. That could come in handy as a Prince Consort."

I glared at Kate. "Show me the picture." She handed the envelope to me. "Oh my. Look how his eyes are pale compared to his super dark hair! I really like that. And he seems to have a dark stubble. I hope he still has it when he comes. It really suits him."

"Show me!" Rachel jerked the picture from my hands and gasped. "I don't want to go to France anymore."

"Rach', this guy is twenty-one. You're a baby for him. Forget about him."

She pouted and threw the picture back at me. "You heartless pig! You're gonna pay for this." She stomped out and slammed the door, which bounced on its frame and stayed opened.

"Woah. She really doesn't want to go to France." Kate-Lyn said, with an amused smile on her lips.

"I think she forgot Prince Frédéric is going to be there." I said, whispering.

"Ha! He's no match against all these gorgeous boys you'll have at your beck and call. She's just jealous. Let her be. She's going to get it over with and she'll even thank you for sending her there."

"I hope so."

"Okay, here, look at this one." I took the envelope from her hands and slipped the paper out.

"Ooh. We have a War Veteran here. My goodness, look at his eyes! They look so sad. It's like they have no life left in them. But they do hold a certain beauty. I wonder what terrible things he's seen."

"Trust me, you don't want to know, Rosie."

I turn my head at Philippe's voice. He was leaning in the door frame. "How long have you been here?"

"I saw you take the envelope. What's the guy's name?" he sat next to me on the floor.

"Logan James Castle."

"Well, he does seem a little bit lost. Here's an advice: don't talk to him about his past life unless he starts the subject. I had a dear friend of mine who came back from the war and the simple reminder of it would loose him for a while." Phil was very serious.

"All right. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

We continued to look at the boy's forms and commented on their looks mostly, but also sometimes on their Caste and jobs. There was a violinist, Westley Alton, and an Ambassador to his father's company, Axl St. James, and also a professional swimmer, Caleb Wesley. I felt like I already knew them just by looking at their faces and reading about them. But then again, I knew I didn't know them at all. It would take weeks, if not months to truly know them.

"Rosaline Sophia Amandine Schreave. What on earth are you doing here? I've been waiting for you in my office for hours."

I stopped breathing when I heard Father's voice. He doesn't call me like that often. I slowly turned around to face him.

"Um... we're going through the Selected's entries?" my voice was small and not persuasive at all.

"Well, you better come quickly, the meeting cannot wait any longer."

"But Father!" I said standing up unwillingly. "It's Saturday..."

"Rose, you know better than anyone: there is no such thing as a week-end when ruling a country. We have an emergency this morning and you need to come."

I looked at the three on the floor, pleadingly.

"Go! You're needed elsewhere, this can wait." Ugh, thanks Phil. Not what I wanted to hear.

I rolled my eyes and followed Father to his office. I loved being a Princess and the future Queen. But there were days when I just wanted to be a normal person, with days off and time for other things than boring meeting. Besides, the counsellors and advisers were always yelling at each other, just for the sake of being heard. They were heard, all right, but seldom listened. I don't know why Father kept them. When I'm Queen, I'll be choosing the advisors myself.

"Terribly sorry, gentlemen, to make you wait. The Princess was... occupied elsewhere."

I smiled at the men and two women and sat in my chair, next to Father. I wasn't focused at all. I kept thinking about that Veteran's lifeless eyes, thinking of a way to bring life back into them. But I knew it was an impossible task. There simply are things you can't unsee.

"Princess, what do think?"

"Huh? I'm terribly sorry. I was miles away. Could you please repeat the question, Sir Andrew?"

He glared at me, and I saw Father pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head from the corner of my eye. I knew I had failed him this morning. More than once.

"We're talking about the food workers who threaten to go on strike if they don't get paid better, Your Highness. What do you think?"

I cleared my throat and straightened in m chair. "Workers all over the country have threatened to go on strike countless times over the years. But they seldom do it. Why would they do it now?" I shrugged my shoulders and sat back, waiting for their answer.

"Your Highness, with the Selection starting in a few days, I'm afraid they might do it this time. You see, they think this is all a game to you. You always had everything you ever wanted, and they have to work fourteen hours a day to make some decent money. Some have large families."

"Sir Michael, it has always been this way. There's not much we can do. Let them strike if they want."

"Your Highness, if they go on strike, I'm afraid to tell you that you won't be eating anything more than stale bread and water. The whole food chain workers all over the country are angry. This is something too big to bypass. The whole country will go hungry if they stop working."

I sighed. "What do they want?"

"Better wages."

I closed my eyes and shut everyone out for a moment. "Do we have to find a solution right now?"

"Not necessarily, but soon, Your Highness."

"All right. Let's start the Selection and keep an eye out for those workers. If they do go on strike, we'll make a decision then."

"All right, Gentlemen, you heard the Princess. Thank you, you are dismissed." Father closed his binder and waited for everyone to leave. When they were gone, I had to ask him: "Father, why did you let me make that decision?"

"Because you need to know what is happening in your country. Soon, you'll be Queen. You need to learn how to make decisions when you have other more important personal things going on. I know what it's like to have a Selection. I've been there before you. It's not going to be easy. I expect you to work with me every morning at least. Afternoons and evening are for getting to know the boys, but always plan the unexpected. If an emergency comes up, sometimes you'll have to work with me instead of dating them."

I sighed. "I know. But thanks for the reminder."

He smiled, stood and kissed my hair before leaving. I stayed there fore a few more minutes. Or I thought it was only minutes.

"Honey? Are you all right?"

I jumped and saw mom sitting next to me. "Yeah. Just a little bit overwhelmed, I think."

She smiled and took my hand. "You know, they're going to be as overwhelmed as you are. I remember when I first came here. Everything was so different from what I was used to, and actually meeting the royal family was something huge. For them, it's going to be the same thing. They'll want to show you their best side, but you have to know their bad side, too. And trust your guts. If a guy doesn't seem right, dismiss him. You don't want to loose your time. You've got thirty-five boys to choose from. It's a lot."

I chuckled. "I'm scared. I don't even know how to be with a guy. I don't even know how to date!"

"You know how to be with Philippe..."

"That's different. He's like a brother or a cousin to me. There was never anything else between us."

"Never, ever, ever?"

I rolled my eyes. "We did play house when we were like seven years old. But I think that's how far it ever went."

She chuckled. "All right. Well just follow your instincts, and maybe listen to what _they_ want to do." I nodded. "Time for lunch, Rose. Come on." She stood and held out her hand, which I took. I wanted to be a little girl again, with no strike issues and no finding-a-husband problem.

A few days later, it was time for Philippe to go back to France. The Limo was parked outside the Palace doors and footmen were bringing his suitcases and Rachel's bags to the trunk. We were standing at the top of the stone stairs, clinging to one another. I didn't want him to go.

"I'll never thank you enough for coming all the way here, Phil."

"It was an honour to help you get prepared for your Selection, Rose."

I looked at his eyes. "You didn't call me Rosie!"

He chuckled. "No, I know you don't like that name."

"It's true, I don't like it. But you're the only one who can use it."

"Really? Rosie, Rosie, Rosie." I chuckled.

Rachel came out of the doors and stood next to us, not looking at me, and straightening her hat. "You're gonna regret this, Rose." and she marched to the car, accepting no help to get in and slammed the door.

"Phil, please look after her?"

"I will. And I'll force Frédéric to be her escort at every event in the next few months."

"Careful, though. She can get pretty crazy around boys."

I heard the smile in his voice when he spoke. "I know. I'll try to remind her who she is and if that doesn't suffice, I'll lock her up in the highest dungeon and feed her only bread and water."

I burst out laughing. "Don't be too hard on her, though."

He kissed the top of my head. "I won't. But I have to go, now."

"Any last advice?"

He cupped my face in his hands and looked at me in the eyes. "Don't use your brain too much. Use your guts. But most of all, listen to your heart, okay? And don't make any rash decisions without calling me, okay? Even if it's the middle of the night for me." I looked at him quizzically. "I want you to be happy, that's all." He kissed my cheek and headed for the car. He turned around. "Au revoir, Votre Altesse!"

"Au revoir!"

And just like that, he was gone. I was left alone, with thirty-five boys arriving the next day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Phiew, busy day today^^, two 2k words chapters! oh, still need 5 more boys... pretty please ^^  
**

 **and hey, if you think your guy (aka the guy you submitted) could be inclined to maybe fall in love with Rosaline (now that you know her a little better), please do tell me ;-)  
**

 _ **Chapter 7**_

The next morning, the dreaded morning when all the boys would arrive, I woke up ever so early, practically at dawn. My heart was beating fast and I had trouble breathing. I popped on my elbow and rang for Anna. I hoped I didn't wake her up. I laid in bed, counting the seconds, and then the minutes, to help calm down. It was Monday morning. The boys would all be here by ten and doing their makeover. I would be doing mine, too, like very Monday morning, with Kate. Ninety minutes of total waxing – that was the worst part – and ninety minutes of manucure/pedicure – yes, my nails were always perfectly done – while my face was covered with cucumber smudge and cucumber slices over my eyes. It was three hours of relaxing time. And I would need it in order to meet the Selected one by one this afternoon, after my last quiet lunch with only my family.

The door opened and Anna came in, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning, My Lady. You're up early."

"Good morning, Anna. I hope I didn't wake you up, though." I made an apologetic face.

"Oh no, you didn't. So, let's get you ready for the big day, shall we?"

"Do we have to?"

She laughed softly. "I'm afraid yes."

"Fine." I kicked the covers away from me and sat up, yawning and stretching my arms and back in the process. I walked to the white and pink tiled bathroom – don't juge me, I chose those colours when I was eight –, stripped down my nightgown and slipped into the shower. It was a very warm day so I adjusted the water to cold. It would also help my blood flow better. I shivered under the icy water but it felt good after sweating during the night. I toweled myself and put my bathrobe on, heading back to my room. Anna had laid out one of my favourite dresses.

"Oh, Anna, do you really think this is a good occasion for this dress? Isn't it a bit too much?"

"Absolutely not, Your Highness. You must be sharp and beautiful at the same time. First impressions are always the most important."

"But I don't want this dress to say 'Hey look at me, I'm the Princess and you're just some little scrubs I can squish under my feet.'"

Anna laughed. "I assure you that when you wear it, it says 'Hey look at me, I'm the Princess and I'm beautiful, please be my friend?'"

I chuckled. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. But thanks."

"I'm serious, My Lady. The colour makes the gold in your eyes stand out and it perfectly shapes your figure. They are all going to fall at your feet."

"All right, I'll wear it. But first, beauty hours."

"Of course."

I headed to Kate's room – this week was in her room because last week was in mine – and Sybil and Leya were already there, preparing the beauty paraphernalia. Breakfast was already waiting for us.

"Is that a car I hear?" We ran to the window and scrouched on the floor, slightly pulling the curtains away so we could see. The first boys were coming already! Three handsome young men in their official Selected's outfit – black trousers and white shirt with a tie the colour of their Province – came out of the Limo. I immediately recognized one of them, Julius Abbot, thanks to his glasses. The two others I wasn't sure. Most of them had brown hair, and from this far away it was hard to make out who it was.

Kate stood and came back with our breakfast plates, and we ate on the floor, half hidden from the curtains and spying on the Selected. During the next half hour, three Limos arrived with several boys in each. We both tried to guess at who it was. Logan James Castle was easy to recognize with his little swoop of hair at the front. It was definitely his physical signature. Although I could easily imagine him having scars from the war under his clothes, too, as his physical signature. But I don't think he would like me to say that.

"All right, Your Hignesses, it's time to start."

We both groaned. Boy spying was much more fun than enduring ninety minutes of waxing. But we both laid on our respective cots and let the expert hands of Sybil and Leya work their magic on us. We didn't talk much, though. I listenend to the cars coming in every ten to fifteen minutes.

The morning went by pretty quickly and we finally went down for our last family lunch. From the Dining Room, we could hear the boys at the other end of the hall. Peace and quiet would now be rare things in the Palace. Although I don't think four girls were what you would call peace and quiet, but still. Thirty-five boys were definitely louder than four girls.

To meet the boys, I had laid out a perfect plan. I wanted ot see if they had the slightest idea of protocol and etiquette. And it was a beautiful day, so I would meet them outside. I had a small wooden bench covered with white cushions under a parasol laid out in the gardens, with General Finlee a few yards away if anything happened. A butler would go back and forth, bringing the boys one by one and escorting them back.

I went to my room to take a small paper and a pen, to note the ones my guts and instincts would dismiss. I also took my lucky charm gloves, slipped them on, headed down the stairs and went outside. The sun was shining, and not a single cloud could be found in the perfect Angeles sky. I sat at one end of the bench and nodded to Crawley, the head butler, to bring the first one.

I was suddenly scared I would forget all the names and faces. But when the first one arrived, I recognized him instantly, without having to read his pin.

"Good afternoon, Sir Axl."

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." He took my gloved hand in his and bent over – he was so tall! – to kiss the back of it. He lifted his head and looked at me with the same smile I had seen in his picture, a kind of small smirk. I invited him to sit. "Did you read my pin or did you learn all our names?"

Pretty blunt, talking without being invited to. "I learned the names. Yours was pretty easy to remember, though."

"Oh, why is that?" Was he smirking, or was his face just like that?

"Your eyes, of course. You're the only one with heterochromatic eyes. It was easy remembering you."

"I guess it is."

"So, tell me Sir Axl. You wrote on your form that you were currently heir to your father's company? Tell me about it."

He widened his eyes. "You memorized all the forms, too?" He wistled in amazement. "Well, my father is the CEO of the St. James Grand Emporium. Ever hear of it?"

"I'm sorry to say I haven't. I don't get much opportunities to leave the Palace, I'm afraid."

"Oh. Well we basically own every Shopping mall in England. And a few here, too."

I nodded. "That's interesting. And you want to inherit your father's company?"

"Oh yes, I do!" he grinned.

"Good. Well, I'm afrid that's all the time we got for now."

"Of course, Your Majesty." He bowed and headed to the door, followed by Crawley who came back with the second one.

I couldn't place the name on this one, though. I read his pin when he was close enough.

"Sir Samuel. Please sit." He was young, but already had streaks of gray hair. "Well, how was your trip?"

"Good."

"Is the Palace how you imagined it?"

"No." Wow, not really talkative.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes." He didn't make eye contact. He looked pass my shoulder.

"Well, Sir Samuel, I'm afraid that's it for today."

"Okay." He left without looking at me or anything. I quickly took my paper. _'To dismiss: Sir Samuel'_

I nodded to Crawley and he came out with the third. I rembered him: Adam Graydon.

"Your Highness." He took my hand and kissed the back of it.

"Sir Adam." his hands were rough from working. "I'm terribly sorry to stare, Sir. Your hands seem to have a history of long hours of manual work."

"They do. But they're happy to work for a good cause."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Earn money to afford medication for my sister."

I hope my voice didn't falter. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that, Sir Adam. I shouldn't have said anything about your hands." What an idiot I was!

"It's alright, Your Highness. I'm going to be honest with you, if that's alright."

"Please." I nodded encouragingly.

"The Selection is easy money. I hope to stay long enough to be able to pay for her treatments for some time." My heart broke. It wasn't the fact that I was nothing for him, but that he was willing to come here to try to save his sister. It was very brave of him to admit it bluntly to me.

I put my hand on his arm. "Rest assured, Sir, that I will keep you here for as long as I can. The Selection is easy money, and I want you to go back home with your pockets full of it."

Tears swelled in his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. "You would do that?"

"Of course. You are very brave to do this and to admit it to me first off." I smiled. There was something about his eyes, like I could read his soul. "That's all the time we have for now, Sir. But I'll be looking forward to talking to you again."

"Me too." He smiled and headed back to the door.

The next one came with Crawley at his side. Ugh, I forgot the name, although I perfectly remember gazing at his picture more than once over the week: messy light blond hair with dark brown mysterious eyes. Oh yes, of course: Caleb Wesley.

"Good day, Sir Caleb."

"Good day to you, Your Highness." He bowed, and didn't wait for my invitation to sit.

"How was your trip?"

"Splendid! It wasn't the first time I took a plane, but the weather was perfect for flying."

"You fly often?"

"Yes. When I have a competition on the other side of the country, I'd rather fly than drive or even run!" He chuckled at his own terrible joke.

"You're a swimmer, correct?"

"You know that?"

I waved he air in front of me. "Oh, I just happened to have read every entry and memorized most of it."

"Wow. You have a good memory, then."

I smiled and nodded. "I do, yes. I also remember reading that you don't like getting up early in the morning. Am I correct?" I smirked a little.

His eyes widened. "You most certainly are. I'm amazed."

"Well, it does come in handy to have a good memory, when you're the Princess having thirty-five young men coming over..."

"Definitely."

"Well, Sir Caleb, I'm afraid we'll have to finish our conversation later."

"No problem, Your Highness. I'll see you later, then." He winked and turned around, heading for the door. Did he just wink at his Princess? I liked that. He wasn't afraid to be around me, that was for sure...

A fourth one was sent my way. I smiled as I recognized him.

"Hello, Sir Alisdair."

"It's pronounced 'A-lis-ter', Your Highness." he smiled, correcting me.

"Pardon me, Sir, I'll try not to distort your name again. I now what it's like to have people mispronounce one's name."

"Oh? How can you possibly mispronounce 'Rosaline'?"

"I've had people call me 'Rosaleene'. Dreadful."

He frowned. "How do you like to be called?"

"Rosaline, or Rose for close friends. I'm sorry to ask, Sir Alisdair, but your accent is familiar. Are you an Irishman?"

"Oh for heaven's sake no! I'm Scottish! Can't you tell the difference!?" Wow. That escalated quickly. He was angry.

"Sorry. Never mind. I read you were a musician?"

He relaxed a bit at the change of subject. "I am, yes. I took my fiddle with me. I can play for you one day, if you want."

"I'd love to hear you! You know, I have a soft spot for Scottish and Irish tunes. It's the only music who really makes me want to dance."

He chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes, but please keep that to yourself."

"I will." he smirked and we laughed together.

"Sir Alisdair, I'll be looking forward to hear you play. But that's all the time we have for today."

"Of course, Princess Rosaline." He took my hand, kissed the back of it and walked back to the door.

Thirty-five boys came and went, and I was eager to get to know most of them soon.

"General Finlee, what time is it, please?"

"It's almost six o'clock, My Lady."

"Time to go get ready for dinner, then. Thank you for standing there all afternoon in the sun next to me. I hope that at least some of the conversations made you laugh."

He chuckled. "They most certainly have, My Lady."


	9. Chapter 9

**YAASSS... this scene (second part of the chapter) was the first one that came to mind when I first imagined this story. But I had to write 7 chapters to finally come to this one. I laughed a lot writing it and imagining it.  
**

 **We almost have the 25 boys. I need 1 or 2 more! Yay! thanks so much for your help!**

 **There will be a massive elimination here - be warned - but none of the boys you submitted is going yet... only mine^^ don't worry!**

 ** _Chapter 8_**

The Dining Room was overcrowded with all those boys. I watched them closely. Some were picking at their food. I know I was. I was too nervous to eat properly. And some seemed ravenous. Kurt Johnson was certainly enjoying his food. Thin as he was, I was afraid he might not keep his dinner down. I hoped he wouldn't get sick, eating twice as he was used to. Logan Castle was enjoying his meal, too.

I had several names on my _'dismiss list'_ from the interviews. But I couldn't dismiss them now. I decided to do that in the morning. Let them all have a good night sleep in those new beds. They all needed to used at least once, right? Or else it would be a total waste. And I wasn't a wasteful person.

When dinner was over, I felt like I had to talk to them.

"Gentlemen, I hope you all enjoyed your dinner. Tonight you are free to do whatever you want, use the Men's Parlour, roam the Palace – although the third floor is strictly forbidden, but I think you already know that – and have a good night's sleep. Serious things start tomorrow." I smiled, bowed my head and walked out the door, to the safety of my room.

I closed the door and leaned against it, sighing. I wished Philippe was here. He'd know what to say to cheer me up. Anna never came in the evenings – I had asked her that a long time ago – to help me undress and prepare for the night. I was a big girl and knew how to take care of myself. And it was one of my alone times. I carefully slipped out of my dress and hung it back in the walk-in closet. I put on sweatpants and a t-shirt. Tonight was me-time.

I had asked Anna to get the biggest white board she could find and it was waiting for me against the wall. I cracked my knuckles – yeah, I do that a lot when I'm alone – and took the glass bowl full of the Selected's envelopes, along with magnets. I opened them one at a time and put them on the board. If he guy was on my _'dismiss list'_ I would toss it back in the bowl. After a few minutes, I had twenty-five pictures up on the wall. For now, they were randomly placed. But then I decided to put them in alphabetical order. I knew Philippe told me not to use my brain too much, but I felt that I still needed to, at least in the beginning.

When that was done, I brushed my teeth and slipped my nightgown on and went to bed.

Anna woke me up at the usual time, but there would be no buffet from now on. Every single meal was going to be taken with the Selected. Even mom would come eat breakfast with us. That would be a nice change.

As breakfast wore on, I braced myself for the first massive elimination of my Selection. I discreetly took the small paper from my bra – that's what happens when you don't have pockets – and reread the names. I waited for the boys to finish eating and when they did, I walked to their table.

"Good morning, Gentlemen. I hope you all slept well. The young men I'm going to call now are to stay a few minutes with me. The rest of you, I think Lord Calyster – Duke of Edinburg – will be waiting for you in the Men's Parlour for your first lesson this morning." I paused and looked at them. Lord Calyster had graciously accepted to mentor the boys throughout the Selection. He was a dear friend of mine, a few years older than me, but really fun to be around. "All right. Now, the men I want to talk to: Sir Samuel, Sir Eric, Sir John, Sir Perry, Sir Soren, Sir Sven, Sir Xedric, Sir Jacob, Sir Clayton and Sir Richard. Everyone else is dismissed." I glared at my family, too, and they took my cue to leave. Two minutes later I was left alone with the ten boys I was going to dismiss.

"All right." I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I hate to do this, and I'm terribly sorry. There are thirty-five of you, and I can't keep up with all of you." I paused and swallowed. "Yesterday afternoon, I didn't feel any connection between us. But trust me when I tell you I wanted to. But it just won't work out." I stopped, because my lower lip was quivering a bit. I bit my lip and waited for it to stop. I couldn't look at them, so I looked at my hands playing with the paper. "Please forgive me. But you are all going home this morning." I closed my eyes, and wished I was somewhere else.

I felt two strong hands on my shoulders. Why did I dismiss the guards, too? I opened my eyes and saw Sir Xedric smiling close to my face.

"Your Highness, you're totally right to do this. Although I had wished for a later elimination. But you have a generous heart and I respect your choice." He hugged me. Then he took my hand and kissed the back of it. "I'll be going, now." I nodded, unable to speak. Was I making a mistake by letting him go? Well, I couldn't come back on my decision, now.

One by one, they bowed in front of me and said good-bye.

"Your Highness, I see know you're a caring person and I'm glad to be your subject."

"Princess, thank you for the opportunity to meet you."

"Your Majesty, I'll never forget your kind words towards us."

I couldn't answer any of them. The tears were threatening to spill down my cheeks. Three of them though were pretty angry and left without bowing or saying anything. I totally understood that. But it was a Selection, and it was the rules. Thirty-four would be gone, only one remaining at my side. Now I had twenty-five to choose from. The task seemed less huge, now.

When they were all gone, I headed to my father's office.

"Wow. You just dismissed ten boys."

"Yeah. It was awful! I hope I never have to do that again."

"Rose, you know you'll have to."

"Yeah, but not on this scale. From now on I'll be eliminating only one or two at a time."

"Wise choice. You know, I eliminated eight girls the first day. And my father before me: eleven. So people won't be surprised."

"I hope so." I sighed. "What are the strikers up to?"

"They haven't done anything yet. But we're keeping an eye on them."

"Good. Either they're giving us time to answer to their threat, or they're preparing something huge, like this country has never seen before."

"Let's hope it's the first one, then."

The rest of the morning went by surprisingly fast. Even though I found myself, more than once, gazing outside the window. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do this afternoon.

Lunch was finally here. When everyone was finished, I made an announcement.

"Gentlemen. I hope your morning with Lord Calyster was pleasant. If not, tell me and I'll get a word to him." I smiled and chuckled. "Anyway. I think you have all seen the weather today, and I think it's a perfect day for a swimming pool day. What do you think?" They whooped and cheered. "That's what I though. I won't be doing a one-on-one date today, but I'll be waiting for all of you near the swimming pool. If you didn't take your swimsuit here, one will be given to you, so don't worry about that. Okay? Let's do this." I smiled and walked out the door to my room, to get ready for this sunny afternoon.

Kate and Mags rushed to my room. "Can we come, too? Or is it only you?"

"Oh no, please come. I don't want to be the only girl gazed upon." We burst out laughing.

"Yaaaassss!" Mags was dancing throughout the room, and Kate and I were laughing. This was going to be a great afternoon, after all.

We all put our swimsuits on and sunscreened each other. When we were ready with our sunglasses, beach dresses and messy buns, we marched down the stairs with our towels in our hands and our flipflops flopping on the tiles. We were the first ones out and chose three chairs on the deck under a parasol. We reclined on them, waiting for the boys.

"Do I have to wait for the guys to come?"

"Of course not, Mags. Go ahead." She jumped to her feet, kicking her flipflops and walking down the stairs of the pool.

"Oooh it's cold!"

"Yeah right." The water was always kept at 77° so I didn't believe her one second.

The boys started coming out in groups of twos or threes, choosing chairs all around the pool to put their towels on. They pulled off their t-shirts and Kate and I exchanged glances, and smiled. They wouldn't be the only ones to feast their eyes on someone. We would feast our eyes on them, too. And there was much more options to chose from. I know it might sound shallow and all, but when you don't know the boys yet, you only have their looks to gauge from. It would change with the passing days and weeks. But for now, that's all we had.

Neither one of them dared to go in the water. I don't know what they were waiting for. The heat was unbearable! I don't know what I was waiting for either. But Maggie seemed a bit embarrassed in the middle of all those tall and scary boys. She was just eleven, poor thing. I decided to go to her rescue and be the first one in the water with her. But as I was standing, Axel Windsort came up to me.

"Your Highness, would you mind?" he said, handing me his tube of sunscreen. "I can't see what I'm doing on my back."

I swallowed. "Uh, sure." I looked at Kate and her eyes widened as her mouth dropped. "Sit down. You're a bit tall for me."

He sat at the foot on my lounging chair and waited. I poured the white stuff in my hands and started spreading it on his muscled back. He flexed his muscled a bit.

"Sir Axel, what is it you do again?"

"I'm a Carpenter." Huh. No wonder his back was so strong.

"I see." I looked again at Kate and mouthed the words 'Oh my god' and she nodded. Then I realised everyone was watching us dumbfounded. Axel was pretty blunt, here.

"All right, I'm done." I gave him the tube back. But instead of taking it, he took my hand and kissed the back of it, while slipping the tube away from my hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He winked, turned around and walked away to his chair.

I was still a little bit puzzled at what just happened. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stood, letting my light beach dress fall to the floor, revealing my 'Marilyn Monroe' swimsuit. "So, what are you all waiting for? Snow?" I laughed and walked to the diving board. I had to dive perfectly, or they would all laugh at me. I jumped once on the board and dived. Pfiew. That was close, I almost slipped. When I emerged from the water, they all applauded and cheered. And one by one, they came in the water, jumping, diving, or simply using the stairs. Some just stayed on the stairs and didn't come further in. But that was okay with me. Kate-Lyn came in, too, and made a magnificent entrance with a huge bombe-dive.

"What? Princesses bomb-dive?" Markus asked, astonished.

"Why not?" I said. "We're normal people, you know?"

He laughed and others joined in. I may be looked upon as a snob on TV during _Reports_ or in magazine articles, but I wanted to show them the real side of me. The side only my family knew. One of them would be my family at the end of this and I wanted them to know who I was.

They started to loosen up a bit and some wanted to show off who the strongest was by trying to drown each other for fun, and climbing on top of each other. They were just a bunch of kids playing in the water and it made me laugh. Then four of them were on the shoulders of four others and they tried to make each other fall down in the water. The team that would stay put the longest won. Maggie was cheering and clapping, and already on Adam's shoulders. She loved boys older than her. But not in the same way Rachel did. Mags liked to have pretend big brothers. Well, she had a nice lot to choose from.

As I was lost in my thoughts, out of nowhere, a head appeared between my legs and pushed me over the water. I shrieked and laughed, and bent down to see on whose shoulders I was: Evan Collins. " Are you crazy?"

"No! We're on Justin's team."

"All right!" I heard Kate shriek, too, and saw she was on Kenan's shoulders.

"Princesses against Selected!" He yelled.

Justin and his carrier came on our team and we faced Tristan, Westley and Micheal on their carriers. This was going to be fun. We pushed and pulled and screamed and laughed. Micheal fell first, almost at the same time as Justin. Now it was Kate and me against Tristan and Westley. Everyone was cheering and encouraging their favourite team – us, of course – and we were laughing.

I looked at Kate and we both nodded at the same time. I bent down to tell Evan and Kenan what we wanted to do, and they accepted, laughing. "Brilliant!" was all Evan said. Our carriers backed up a few steps and intertwined their arms while Kate and I intertwined ours. Then they ran and we passed in between Tristan and Westley, grabbing their elbows and pulling them down of their seats. We had won! We all cheered and laughed.

We were still on Kenan's and Evan's shoulders when we saw Father and mom standing near the pool, their arms crossed, shaking their heads and laughing. I blushed hard, but stayed put.

"Seriously, Rose?" Mom was holding her belly, laughing hard.

I smiled, showing all my teeth, and everyone laughed. Then I saw a couple photographers on the side and I face palmed hard. If this was going on the magazines tomorrow, I was screwed.

"Evan, can you put me down, please?"

"Sure, Your Highness."

As soon as I was on firm ground again, I said. "Oh, and by the way, stop calling me Your Highness or Majesty. I'm Rosaline!" I giggled and walked up the steps of the swimming pool, wrapped myself in my towel and headed to the photographers.

"We need to talk."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 9**_

Wow. That was fun! I wished I could have only afternoons like this one. Group dates were the best to get to know people. When on one-on-one, you usually try to show your shiniest facet. When in a group, you automatically behave like your true self. And that's what I wanted to see in the boys: their true self. I decided to postpone one-on-one dates, until I was satisfied enough with what I had learned about the boys.

During the evening, I worked a bit with father. But each time he looked at me, he would start a laughing fit.

"What?"

"Nothing." He chuckled. "I just can't unsee you on the boy's shoulders, shrieking and laughing. You were all a bunch of kids in that pool."

I chuckled, too. "We were. And it felt good to just forget yourself for a moment."

"Unless there are photographers nearby, Rose."

"I dealt with them, don't worry."

He chuckled again, and I tried to focus on my activity report. It was rather boring. But I wanted to know more about my people, so I put my mind to it. When I finally finished reading it, Father was gone – I didn't even hear him leave – and it was past midnight.

I tiptoed to my room, thankfully encountering no one. I calculated what time it was in France. A little after 9 a.m. I took my phone and dialled Philippe's number.

"Allô? Le bureau de Sa Majesté Philippe. Comment puis-je vous aider?" I knew a little bit of French. This was his private number. Why was his butler answering his phone?

"Bonjour, c'est la Princesse Rosaline. Je voudrais parler à Philippe, s'il vous plaît." Princess Rosaline speaking. I'd like to speak with Philippe.

"Bien sûr, Votre Altesse." Of course, Your Highness.

I waited.

"Rosie?"

"Phil! Oh how I'm glad to hear your voice."

"Is there a problem?"

"No, everything's fine. It's past midnight and I just finished reading a report for Father."

"Oh. Why aren't you sleeping? Dating thirty-five men is hard work, you should get your rest. And your beauty sleep."

"Pssssshhh. Beauty sleep? That's for the weak. I don't need that. Oh, and by the way, I have to date twenty-five men, now."

"What?! You eliminated ten boys just like that? Without even calling me first? I said don't make rash decisions without calling me."

"Ugh. You're over protective. How's Rachel?"

He chuckled on the other end of the line. "Uhm, how do I put this... She's been sick all night and hates Fréd, now."

"What happened?" I felt bad for sending her there. I knew Frédéric could be kind of a prankster and that Rachel believed everything he told her, but still.

"Well, Fréd made her eat Oysters and Snails last nigh."

"Huh? How did he manage that? We can't make her taste anything new. And she won't even try Caviar. How?"

He burst out laughing. "He told her the Oysters would give her the smoothest of skins, and she swallowed nine huge ones. She was holding them down pretty well. Then, Fréd told her Snails were a great aphrodisiac. Ha! She ate three before giving up her whole dinner in front of everyone. Fréd, of course, was under the table, laughing his lungs out. She was a bit green after that, and she didn't sleep well. This morning she totally ignored him, and now she's locked herself up in her room."

"Oh my goodness, poor Rachel! But this is so funny, and I also feel terrible about it. It's my fault she's there. Do you think I should call her back here?"

"Are you crazy? She's going to be in your way. She'll get over it and will like Fréd again in no time. He's planning on introducing her to his numerous guy friends during the week. So don't worry about her."

I sighed. "All right."

"You should go get some sleep, Rosie. You're going to need it."

I yawned. "You're right. Thanks for the tchat."

"My pleasure."

"Bonne nuit, Votre Altesse." I said in my best french accent.

He chuckled. "It's morning, here Rose. But good night to you."

I hung up, stripped out of my dress and fell asleep even before my head hit the pillow.

The morning was uneventful. Reports, reports, and, oh! Some more reports to read. Sometimes I felt I had the worst job on earth. Reading reports is not the first thing you think of when you imagine a Princess' day. But my days were full of reports. And guys, now.

Today was going to be an evening group date. My uncle, father's younger brother, had a bowling alley – well, three of them, in fact – constructed twenty-five years ago and we sometimes played when we had some family time – which happened like three times a year.

During the afternoon, I continued to read reports and summarize them for Father. Only this time, I was sitting under a parasol in the garden, far enough from the swimming pool so I wouldn't be distracted from the boys splashing around. I knew they weren't all there. Some preferred alone time, and others probably didn't like swimming.

Ugh. Focus, Rose. I forced my eyes to read the report. But I could still hear them even if I didn't see them.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally finished reading those damned reports. I took them back to Father's office and went to prepare for Dinner.

Dinner was perfect. The boys were all talking to each other rather loudly, but they seemed to have more fun than me. Lord Calyster reprimanded them for talking so loudly. They managed to lower the volume for a few minutes, but then they started again. Lord Calyster looked at me and his eyes said something like _'I'm terribly sorry, they're awful'_. I rolled my eyes and laughed. But he was right. They were a bit loud.

"Gentlemen." No one heard me. Except for Theo Barton. He was looking intently at me. He nudged his neighbour, Tristan, in the ribs and motioned me to him. Tristan nudged his neighbour and so on. One by one they stopped talking and turned to look at me. Silence gradually came back.

"I see that you are all getting friendly with one another. It's good! But please, try to be a little more quiet. I can't even hear my own Father talking to me."

Some stopped chewing, others blushed a little – it was cute – and others just looked at their plate.

"Oh, but don't stop talking, though. Please carry on. Just not as loudly as before. Please." I smiled and turned back to me seat.

Mom was trying to suppress a laugh. She leaned towards me when I was seated. "You clearly need to get used to this, Rose. They are going to be here for some time."

I sighed. "I know. But I seriously couldn't hear Father talking to me."

Mom smirked and resumed eating.

When finally everyone was finished and the boys were getting louder by the minutes, I walked to their table.

"Please, could I have your attention?" It really felt like talking to children. Oh well. "Tonight we are going to do another group date. I promise you, after tonight, I'll start with One-on-one dates. But I wanted to do something fun tonight, and the more we are, he funnier it gets. I hope you are competitive, because I am." I smirked and let them ponder at what I had just said. "Meet me in the Men's Parlour in thirty minutes. I'll guide you to our group-date place." I left the Dinning Room, and went to my room, to change in some more comfortable clothes.

I chose a fancy pair of black pants with a light green blouse and forest green heels. I wouldn't be wearing them much tonight. I didn't touch my hairdo nor my make-up, and went to get Kate-Lyn. Bowling was one of her favourite things in the world, and she excelled at it. I, on the other hand, absolutely sucked at it, but I always laugh so much, it became one of my favourite activities, too. I was eager to go.

When I knocked on the Men's Parlour's door, Axl opened the door and let me come in. I hadn't change the rules about this room, in the end, because they also needed a place where they could find privacy and friends.

"Thank you very much, Sir Axl." They all glared at me for a moment. "What?" I frowned, a bit puzzled at the reaction.

"Please forgive us, Rosaline, we're just not used to seeing you wearing pants." Axl said, probably voicing what the others were thinking.

I laughed. "Well, you better get used to it. Dresses and skirts are pretty. But not practical at all for what we are going to do. And remember what I told you yesterday afternoon: we're normal people." I shrugged. "So, who's ready for an awesome bowling night?"

Cheers answered my little speech.

"Good. Follow me, then."

Axel Winsort – gosh, I'm going to be confused with Axel and Axl – came next to me and gave me his arm. "My Lady." I looked at him with yet another smirk on my face, and took his arm.

"Sir, you do have a fixation to get my attention. Or am I wrong?"

He chuckled. "I can't believe you've already deciphered that. But yes, I am." I laughed at his boldness.

Down the hall, left turn, down the stairs, right turn, and through wooden doors. "Here we are." A footman was readying the shoes and had lit the alleys. The screens were ready with all of us already split into three random groups of nine. I went to retrieve my shoes. I sat on one of the couches and slipped my heels off, putting on the bowling ones. A maid was getting out drinks – no alcohol – for us with sweets and cookies.

I cracked my knuckles and waited for the boys to get ready. Ten minutes later, everyone had a fitted pair of shoes and a drink and we could start. Kate and I weren't in the same team, and so our team-mates said "Ladies first." We both rolled the ball. Mine hit two pins – I was truly terrible at it – and Kate hit a strike. Everyone cheered for her, but felt bad for me.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I suck at this game, but I love it! You have to look out for Kate-Lyn, though. She masters it and I'm ready to bet whatever you want that she is going to out win you all." Kate glared at me with huge eyes. Yep, the pressure was up. I smothered a laugh and sent my bowling ball rolling and hit two other pins. One after the other we rolled the ball and the scores went up. And as predicted, Kate was crushing us all with her mastery.

I was resting on the counter, drinking some iced tea, when Axl joined me, drinking his Coke.

"My goodness, Rose!" What are you calling me Rose, dude? "You're so short!"

I stared at him. And everybody else stopped talking and playing and turned around to look at us. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

He chuckled. "I just said you were short without your high heels."

"And before that?"

He squint his eyes. "Uhm... Rose?"

"Exactly. That's twice in one sentence you've disrespected me. My name is Rosaline and I'm not short: you're the one who's tall. You can go home, thank you very much."

"What? You're not serious."

I put my hands on my hips. "Oh, I most certainly am, Sir. I won't have some guy disrespect me. And if you didn't remember, I'm not just a girl from your neighbourhood. I know I said I was a normal person, but I'm still the Princess, and your future Queen." I said all that with the calmest tone I could muster, and with my mastered smile plastered on my face. "Sir Axl Chanceford St. James – yes, I memorized your full name – you are thereby dismissed." I turned around and sat on one of the couches, sipping my tea.

Not one was breathing. We could hear a pin drop. He stormed out of the room and I breathed easier. I was just a little bit scared at what he would do, being the first eliminated and all – well, after the mass elimination of yesterday.

The mood in the room changed and I was eager to go to bed.

x-x-x-x-x-x

 **To AceSeesYouuu : I'm terribly sorry to dismiss Axl now... I had to choose one, and Axl had one of the hardest personalities to work with (it's the author speaking here, not Rose^^)... hope you won't hate me for this^^ but please stay tuned for the rest of the story ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**YAasss! Thank you all so much for the 25 superb boys you gave me. stay tuned to see when Rosaline will talk and date yours ;-)  
**

 **Oh, and here is the first one-on-one date^^**

 _ **Chapter 10**_

It was Thursday, and I already had two group dates and eleven eliminations to my record. That was fast. Now I needed to do at least one or two real dates before the _Report_ tomorrow. Time was flying so fast with my work with Father and activities with the boys.

As far as I could tell, they were are really nice and fun to be around, or otherwise I would have eliminated them already. I would need to find something – and fast – to choose the first one to go on a real date with. It was just before lunch and I still didn't know if I wanted to do an afternoon or evening date. I pulled away the white sheet that hid my white board full of the boy's pictures. Underneath every face I had written a few key words from their form, plus other things I had noticed about them.

I decided to go with one of the quiet ones. I needed a relaxing time and I don't think I would be able to with an outgoing boy. The ones I had noticed who went in that shy and quiet category were Aaron, Jerad, Kurt, Nigel and Matt. I know I shouldn't be using my brain to do this, but my heart still didn't know enough about them to just choose one on the spot. It would come with time. At least I hoped.

I went to lunch, still not knowing who to choose and what and when would be the date. I was so bad at this. Kate-Lyn was sitting next to me and I asked her who of the five she would choose.

"I'd choose the cutest, without a doubt."

"Ugh. That doesn't help at all. They're all cute!"

Maggie was listening to the conversation, too, and I didn't notice. "I'd pick Matt."

I turned to look at her. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just like his reddish hair. It sure makes him stand out of the group, 'cause he's the only one with red hair."

"She has a point, there."

I looked at Matt. Thankfully he wasn't looking my way, and I could see his green eyes from here and his bright smile. I nodded. "Yeah. Good choice, Mags."

She beamed next to me.

"Now, for a date. Any ideas?"

"What does he do again?" Kate leaned on her elbow, staring at him.

"Don't stare like that." I hissed. "He's a Six and if I remember correctly he's in the sewing department. I'm not sure."

We talked like that for some time. And by the time lunch was over, I had a pretty goof idea at what I wanted to do. I didn't want to ask him on a date in front of everyone, so I waited outside the Dining Room for them to come out. When he came out, I walked to him. He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. But there was no one.

"Sir Matt. I'd like to invite you on the first one-on-one date." His eyes widened a little. "Only if you'd like, of course." I quickly added.

He took my hand and kissed the back of it. Why did they all do that? "It would an honour, Princess Rosaline, to be your first date." He smiled warmly and I saw something in his face that I hadn't noticed before: he had some kind of boyish charm and his smile was endearing, to say the least. Maggie had a great eye.

"Very well! I'll come by to your room in thirty minutes to pick you up."

"I'll be waiting for you, Princess."

"Oh, please. Just call me Rosaline." I chuckled.

"I will. See you later, then, Rosaline." And with that he walked away to his room.

Mags caught up with me in the stairs. "So?"

"You have a really good taste. I'm impressed.

"But did he accept?"

"Of course he did. He didn't really have a choice, now did he?"

She giggled. "No, I don't think so!" She took my hand and we went to my room. I loved my baby sister. She was still a baby to me, but there were times, like just now, when she would impress me with her maturity. Out of the four of us, she was definitely the prettiest. Everybody loved her. And I already saw some of the guys showing a soft spot for her in their hearts. I decided then and there that Maggie liking the one I would choose at the end would be one of the major criterions. He would be in her life, too, and a male role model, so I wanted him to be perfect for me and for her.

I didn't change my dress for the afternoon. It was a jade green tea-length and sleeveless – but not strapless – dress with a full skirt. I paced in my room for the next half hour and when time was finally up, I checked his room number and headed to the second floor. I found his room and knocked lightly. His valet opened the door.

He bowed. "Your Highness."

"James." I inclined my head. He stepped aside and let me in, just as Matt was covering something with a large white sheet.

I eyed him and his object quizzically. "Oooh, what is that?" I asked, coming over.

"Um, nothing." He blushed a little. And I noticed how my dress was exactly the same colour of his eyes.

"It's not 'nothing'. Please show me." But I didn't want to intrude on something private, so, as much as I didn't want to, I refrained from lifting the sheet myself.

"You're right, it's not 'nothing', but I can't show it to you now. I'll show it to you, I promise, but not now." I lifted an eyebrow. "It's not finished." He said, putting his hands behind his back and rocking back and forth on his feet.

"All right. But I'll hold you to that."

"Of course."

"Shall we go?"

He smiled and nodded, relaxing a bit that I wasn't pushing him to reveal his secret. He gave me his arm and I gracefully took it. "Where are we going?"

"I want to show a place, here in the Palace, that most of the others won't be interested in. I'm pretty sure you'll be, though." I titled my head and looked at him with an amused smile on my lips.

"And how would you know I'd be interested in seeing this place?"

"Feminine intuition."

"Oh." He had a small smirk on his lips.

"You don't believe me, Sir Matt?"

"I guess I don't have a choice but to believe now, do I? Oh, and please call me just Matt."

I giggled. "All right, Matt." We walked a few more minutes, taking stairs and turns and doors. I stopped in front of a wooden door in one of the underground floors. "Here we are. Are you ready?" I grinned. I just knew he was going to love this place.

He inhaled. "I am."

I pushed open the door and revealed the room.

"Oh my God! Are you serious?"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yes! Do you like it?"

"Are you crazy? I _love_ it!"

I burst out laughing. I let him explore the room. No one was working now; I had specifically asked that this room be empty of workers for this afternoon. I sat on one of the wooden chairs and looked at him walk to the far end of the room, where dozens and dozens of fabrics every colour, sort, texture, size and shape were displayed on rolls on shelves. He was like a small kid opening presents for the first time.

He touched every single one of them. Then he ran to the sewing machines.

"I've never seen so many in one place! And all those dummies…"

I laughed. "Yep, that's what you need when you have to makes clothes for a Queen and four Princesses. And that's without talking about all the suits that have been made for you guys."

His mouth dropped. "I had no idea you all had your private tailors. That's incredible."

"We do. You said in your form you were a tailor. What do you prefer to do?"

His grin was very catchy and I smiled with him. He sat in the chair next to mine. "I do mostly anything people order. But what I prefer doing are coats and dresses. By the way, you have a very good taste in fashion, Rosaline. I've been following the _Reports_ since I was a little boy, like everyone, I think, and you always impress me with you dresses. Do you draw them?"

"For goodness' sake, no. I'm a terrible drawer. Ask me to draw a person, you'll only see a stick figure, I'm afraid."

"Then how do you choose your dresses?"

"Well, if you must know, I was exploring the Palace one day and found myself in a room I had never seen before. – This Palace has a lot of forgotten rooms and staircases – Old books and magazines were piled everywhere. I started flipping through some of them and found a very old fashion magazine from 1950, and I immediately fell in love with the dresses and designs. I took all the 50's magazines I could carry and showed them to my two seamstresses. And like me, they fell in love with those forgotten designs. Since then, I've only been wearing that kind of clothes."

He shook his head. "Do you still have those magazines?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure. Wait here." I walked to the cupboards along another wall and opened one of them. I took a pile of the magazines and brought them to Matt. "Here you go." I smiled and watched as he flipped through the pages with an expert eye. "You can take them to your room, if you like. But I'd still want them back." We both laughed.

"Of course. This is a valuable treasure. I wouldn't take it from you."

"I'm going to tell you a secret." I paused and he looked at me. "I have something even more valuable – in my opinion. You know those white gloves I always wear on the _Reports_?"

"Yeah, the ones with the heart?"

"You noticed."

"I couldn't miss that."

"Well, they were my great-great-grandmother's."

His mouth dropped. "Seriously? Like…" he calculated in his mind. "Queen Eadlyn?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"You know, if you get bored or anything during the Selection, you can come down here and use whatever you want from here. I'll tell the dressmakers to let you do whatever you want."

"You're not serious."

"I am."

He looked at the room again, lost in his thoughts. "Wow. Thank you."

I smiled. "You're welcome." I let him gaze a little bit longer. "Would you care for some refreshing drinks in the gardens?"

He snapped back to reality. "I would, yes." He stood and gave me his arm.

"Oh, don't forget your magazines, Matt."

"You're right, thanks!"

We walked out the room and headed back upstairs. The air was cool down here and I was dreading the outside heat. But I didn't want to stay cooped up inside all aftenoon.

"I'll just put this in my room, I'll be right back!"

I nodded and waited for him down the stairs. Kate came out from the Women's Room.

"Well? How'd it go?"

"It's not over, yet. Go back inside!" I whispered, and pushed her away. She giggled.

Matt came back down, not two minutes later. He gave me his arm and we walked outside.

"I noticed you yourself have a nice sense of fashion."

He blushed. "Not everyone likes it, though."

"Well I do. I think it perfectly sums up who you are."

"And is it a good or bad thing?"

"A good thing."

We came across a maid and we both ordered our drink, and waited for them under the Parasol where I had first met the boys, on the couch with all the cushions. We talked and talked and it was really fun. I hoped every date would be like this one. And I was in no way going to eliminate him anytime time soon. The afternoon flew by too fast.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 **if you liked this chapter, please say so!**

 **and if you think your guy would be entitled to fall in love with Rose, please say so, too!**

 **and if you have a date idea including your boy (or one of the boys if you didn't submit one), please tell me! :-) you know your boys better than I do, and you know what they'd love to do with Rose :)**

 ***Thank you* :-]**

 **ps: I love reviews ;-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey y'all, thanks for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing (I never get enough of those^^) this story =) you da best! Please tell me what you think of this chapter :-)  
**

 ** _Chapter 11_**

"Sir Alisdair!" I was half running in my gown, trying to catch up with him as he was coming out of the Men's Parlour and heading for the stairs. He stopped and turned around. "Um, did I say your name correctly?"

He smiled. "You did, Your Highness"

"Rosaline." I looked at him pointedly. How long still would I have to tell them that?

"Right. Rosaline."

I smiled mischievously. "Sir, you promised me some music, remember?"

He chuckled. "You're right, I did. Would you like me to play for you this afternoon?"

"I'd very much like to, if you don't mind."

"Absolutely not. But on one condition, though." I saw mischievous sparks in his blue-green eyes.

"And what would that be?" I said, putting my hands on my hips, pretending to be offended.

He leaned a little bit closer and whispered: "You have to dance."

I burst our laughing. "Ha! We'll see about that..."

"Fair enough. I'll go get my fiddle."

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

He shook his head. "Not at all." He gave me his arm and I took it. He led us to his room. I stayed in the doorframe, though. I didn't want to intrude too much in this personnal space – I wouldn't want to have one of the boys too soon in my room, either. He got down to his knees and pulled a fiddle case from under his bed. "All right, here we go. Where do you want me to play for you?" he said, standing up.

"I think the music room would be a good place to start." I walked down the hall and down the stairs with Alisdair on my heels. The music room was in the opposite Wing from the Men's Parlour and Women's Room, so we wouldn't be disturbed. We weren't really musicians, in my family. Neither one of my parents had the musical side, and so didn't pass it down to their daughters. But I was always impressed and amazed at what others could do.

"Wow. You have a real Grand Piano. It's beautiful." he said, taking in the room.

"You play the piano, too?"

"Oh, no. I'm more of a strings musician. Fiddle, mandolin, mandola and guitar."

"All that? I'm speechless. I can't play anything."

"Maybe not, but you can dance." he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Let's see first how you play." I sat comfortably on a couch and watched as he tuned his fiddle, and warmed his fingers and wrists.

"Ok. What would you like to hear first?"

"I don't know. What is it you usually play?"

"Scottish and Irish tunes, My Lady. I mean, Rosaline."

I shook my head with an amused smile. "All right. Play your favourite tunes, then."

He nodded, swallowed and placed his bow on the strings, closing his eyes for a few seconds, letting concentration and music take hold of him. Then, out of nowhere, his bow danced across the strings and an incredible catchy tune filled the room. I was immediately enthralled and my foot beat the rhythm without me noticing it. He played for a few minutes, before his feet danced, carried away by his music. It was incredible! I started clapping my hands and laughing at this amazing musician who could play the fiddle and dance at the same time.

When that first tune ended, he laughed and looked at me.

"That was incredible! How do you do that?

"Do what?"

"Play and dance at the same time."

"Well, Irish and Scottish dances have this special thing where you don't need your arms to dance, but only your feet. So since I'm already using my arms, I can dance with my feet." He grinned.

"I didn't know that. Are those steps easy?"

He eyed me suspiciously. "You want me to teach you some steps?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"All right." He put his fiddle back in its case for the moment. He extended his hands to me. "All right, stand up." I took his hands and stood. "Stand next to me, and follow what I do. I'll be going real slow."

I was wearing a floor length gown with a belt, so I grabbed the bottom of my dress and kind of stuffed the extra fabric in the belt so we could see what my feet were doing. He blushed a little when he saw what I was doing, but composed himself fast.

"All right, follow my lead."

I obeyed. The first step he showed me was quite easy, but as the minutes wore on, the steps became more and more complex. But I had some sense of rhythm and a good sense of observation, so I managed pretty well to do what he did.

"That's good! Now let's put some music to that. I'll dance, too, so you just follow, like we did until now." I nodded. I was quite nervous, but I couldn't let him see that. He put his bow on the strings again, but played a slower tune than the first one he played. And as I mastered the slow steps, he played faster and faster and faster and we were both laughing so hard, and I was mixing up everything, confusing right and left. He ended the tune, and we were both out of breath, laughing, and fell on one of the couches.

I totally forgot about my dress stuffed in my belt, and my legs were bare to my mid thighs. I saw him blush a little.

"What is it?"

"Uhm... your dress." he mumbled.

I looked down at it and burst out laughing. "Ooops." I stood and fixed it. "So, tell me Alisdair, how did you learn to play like that?"

"Well, my dad taught me to play all four instruments, when my mum died. I grew up playing at Ceilidhs, so-"

"What's that?"

"Ceilidhs? They're Irish or Scottish parties were music and dance have the first place."

"Oh. I'd like to see one of those!"

"Yeah, you'd like them. People dance solo or couple dances, and it rarely finishes before dawn."

"Sounds exciting! I'm sorry about your mother. What happened next?"

"I grew up in the Highlands in Scotland, and after a fall in profits, my father and I moved to Illéa. I was fifteen, and that's when I started performing on my own. My two older sisters are successful musicians in Edinburgh."

"Your father was brave to come all the way here with you. It must have been hard to adjust to our culture and the Castes and all."

"It was. But it was also easy to fit in the Fives, since we were musicians."

"Are there Ceilidhs here in Illéa?"

He shook his head and scratched his dark brown stand-uppy hair. "Not that I know of."

"Okay. Well, that's my first project when I'm Queen, then!"

He chuckled. "Is that even a queenly project?"

"Of course. Anything is a queenly project if I say it is. I'm sure there are a lot of Scots and Irish people in Illéa, and they would be glad to have something from home, don't you think? And I would be the first one on the list to go."

He smiled and shook his head in dismay. "You know, I had a completely different image of you from the _Reports_ than how I see you here."

I sighed and my shoulders slumped a little. "That doesn't surprise me at all. I wish I could be truer to myself on TV, but I'm afraid that the people won't take me seriously. We're Royals, remember? And Royals are supposed to be all shiny and perfect. Even if-"

"Even if you're normal people." he finished for me.

I smiled sadly. "Yeah. You see my problem? I'm at a dead-end." Why was I telling him all this? But then again, one of them would be my husband and they needed to know who I truly was, right? But I didn't think I would open up this fast and this easily. But Alisdair was kind and true, too. Why shouldn't I be?

He reclined on the couch cushions and sighed. "I see your problem. But it's not a dead-end. Just climb over the wall and show who you are."

I let my head fall on the cushion behind me. "I don't know. They'll think I'm acting or something. It won't be seen as genuine."

"We'll find a way, don't worry."

"We?"

"We, as in you, me, the other boys. They see you, too, just like me. And I heard them talking."

I straightened in my seat. "Saying what?"

He looked at me. "What I just told you. That you were different here than from the times we saw you on TV: A snob."

I snorted. "That's exactly what I try to look like. At least I'm a good actress, right?"

He burst out laughing. "I guess you can say that."

I checked the time on the old clock hanging on the wall. It was almost 4 o'clock.

"Well, Sir Alisdair, thank you very much for the dancing lesson and the great music. And the talk. I'll have to think about climbing over that wall, one day. Before I ascend the Throne, though. But I'm afraid I can't stay any longer. The _Report_ starts in an hour, and I have to get ready and talk with Everset Layden."

"Of course. And it was really fun teaching you an Irish dance. If I have an idea for that wall, I'll let you know."

"Please do." I said standing. He stood, too, and kissed the back of my hand. I left the music room and headed for my room. I took a quick shower – when was the last time I took a long relaxing bath? It felt like ages ago – and slipped in my most beautiful dress. Tonight was the first _Report_ with the Selected, and I had to look perfect. But I had to be myself, too.

I didn't want to climb that wall. I would take down the bricks, one after the other, even if it took me years to have the people accept who I really was. And as their future Queen, they had the right to know who I was.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 12_**

I was sitting in my _Report_ chair, waiting for everyone to be seated, and completely lost in my own thoughts.

"Nervous, Your Highness?"

I jumped at those words and turned my head around to see who had spoken to me.

"Of course not, Sir Aaron." I smiled lightly.

He pointedly looked at me.

"Okay, fine. I am." I said looking away and crossing my arms over my chest.

He sat on Kate's chair – she was late – and chuckled. "I know how you feel."

"You're an actor. This is easy for you. Talking with cameras around, I mean."

"Yeah, and no. You'll learn quickly enough I'm kind of an entrovert person. But this is not what I wanted to talk about. I'm gonna tell you something I never thought I would say. Especially not to you." I looked at him. "I hate snobs. And seriously, the impression you left me during all those years on the _Report,_ is nothing else than that."

"So you hate me?" I frowned quizzically.

"I thought I did, but-"

"Then why did you put your name in the Selection?"

"I don't know. A 'what if', maybe. Anyway. What I'm trying to say is that what I saw this week is not what I was used to on TV. You're an incredible young woman, very fun to be around, and certainly not a snob."

"So you don't hate me anymore?" I asked with a sheepish kind of smile.

He half-smiled and chuckled. "No. Quite the contrary, actually. Look, here's my advice: if you change overnight your image on TV, people won't believe you. Be yourself, but not to much at a time. Does that make sense?"

I nodded. "It does. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He stood and walked away.

"You know," I said, and he stopped and turned to look at me, "you're the second person to tell me this today. I think I really need to change."

He smiled and headed for his seat.

"What did he want?" Kate said, sitting in her chair next to mine.

"Oh, nothing. Small talk."

"Two minutes, everyone!" the stage director called out. Everest was pacing back and forth. Was he nervous? How could he be? He was always the bubbliest and most genuine of us all. This was his job. His passion. His life. What was wrong with him? I wanted to go talk to him but there wasn't time. I didn't even hear the director's countdown. The Anthem played and Everest put on his most perfect smile, ready to jump in as soon as the Song was over.

"Hellooooo everyone! Tonight is the night you have all been waiting for. During the past week, you've seen the Selected's arrival, their makeover, and heard some of them talk about their first days. But tonight, you will hear them Live! After we've talked with Princess Rosaline, of course. But before that, I want to have a little chat with Princess Kate-Lyn and Princess Maggie." He turned around. "Princesses, would you join me here, please?"

Maggie jumped from her chair and ran to Everest. Kate, always the perfection, walked regally to the Centre Stage and sat on the small couch prepared for the occasion. Maggie was beaming. She never really got to talk on the _Report_ so tonight was very special for her.

"Princess Maggie. Tell me: how are you surviving with all those boys in your home?"

"It's awesome, Everest. I finally get to have brothers!" Everest, along with the audience, "aww-ed". "They're all nice to me. If I were Rosaline, I don't know who I'd pick!"

Kate smothered a laugh. Me too. I choked on the laugh I swallowed and started a coughing fit. A maid had to bring me a glass of water. Poor Maggie didn't know what she did wrong. Her eyes were wide and I was afraid she might cry. I literally ran to her rescue. I sat on the couch next to Kate and took Maggie on my lap and whispered to her that she did nothing wrong, that what she said was simply funny. She relaxed a bit.

"Princess Kate-Lyn, how about you? How does if feel to have all those young men there?"

She tilted her head. "It sure is a change of scenery, you know? Being it a house with sisters only. And just like Maggie said, if I were Rosaline, I wouldn't know who I'd pick, either." The four of us laughed. Everest didn't know how to sit comfortably. What was wrong with him tonight?

"Well, I'm sure that sums up pretty well this new situation. Thank you, Your Highnesses. I'm going to talk with Rosaline, now, if you don't mind."

They both smiled and left me alone on the couch, too big for only one me.

"Princess Rosaline, did you date some of the boys this week?"

"I did. But I started with group dates."

"Group dates? Why on earth?"

"I had absolutely now idea who to choose for the first date, so I chose all of them." I smiled.

"And what did you do with thirty-five men?"

"Twenty-five, actually. I sent home ten young men on Monday morning."

"Oh? Why?"

I shrugged. "It just didn't click, you know? And as much as I wanted it to, there was no connection. I didn't want to waste my time… I feel terrible about it, I can assure you."

"You shouldn't feel that way, Your Highness! This is your heart and you only have one. And remember: only one will remain at the end. Thirty-four must be eliminated."

I nodded, regaining some confidence. "You're right, Everest."

"So, tell me about those group dates!"

"Let me tell you it was a blast! You would have enjoyed it yourself." I saw him blush a bit. What did I say wrong? There really was something wrong with him tonight. I never saw him blush or lose his confidence during a Live _Report_. I mentally shook the thought away and went on. "The weather was so nice on Monday that we did a pool party. It was so much fun. Oh, and I have some pictures for you to see!" I pointedly looked at Father, silently saying _See? I dealt with the photographers. I choose when, where, and how the pictures are used._ Father rolled his eyes and chuckled.

As planned, pictures of that afternoon appeared one after the other on the screen. Pictures, of the boys mostly, some pictures of me and my sisters and pictures of that game we played. There even was a picture of Kate and me making Tristan and Westley fall down of their Carriers.

"See? I told you it was fun! And trust me when I tell you all those boys are built like Greek gods." I fanned myself with my hand, and I leaned in close to him, whispering: "I did my fair share of staring at them." I winked at him. He was getting redder by the minute. He pulled his tie to loosen it up a little.

He inhaled deeply, trying not to stare at the pictures. "Any other group dates?"

I watched him intently, not really knowing what to do or say anymore. I didn't want him to lose it completely. "Um, yes. We had a Bowling night on Tuesday, where I eliminated one of the boys."

"Why? Because he didn't let you win?" He winked at me. I sighed, relieved. He was himself again.

"Oh, you know I'm terrible at this game. No, it was because he disrespected me. And I won't tolerate that."

"You're absolutely right. And please tell me you did some One-on-one dates?"

I nodded. "Yes. Two, in fact."

"With whom?"

I looked back at the boys. "Matt and Alisdair. But I'm sure they'll be happy to talk about it with you." I winked and headed back to my seat.

"What is wrong with Everest?" Kate whispered in my ear.

"I have no idea."

Everest walked to the boys seated in three rows of eight. Matt was in the front, so Everest invited him first. I kept an eye on Everest, making sure he wouldn't lose it again.

"Sir Matt, wow. You were one of the two first dates."

"The first one, actually." He said proudly.

"Oooh, and what did you do?"

"Princess Rosaline showed me the Palace's sewing room. Oh, I'm a Tailor, so, you know." He shrugged. "It was absolutely incredible!" He was still a little awed, I think.

Everest didn't seem impressed. But he played his game. "Wow! Though I think you would be the only one of the Selected to be interested in seeing that room."

"Probably."

"Did you kiss her? Or did she kiss you?"

Matt blushed slightly. "On a first date? No. I don't think the Princess is that kind of woman."

Everest chuckled. "No, I don't suppose she is. Thank you very much, Sir Matt." He bowed in front of him and Matt walked back to his chair. "Sir Alisdair?"

I winced at the mispronunciation of his name. Alisdair stood and headed to the couch. "It's 'A-lis-ter'. And before you ask anything about my accent, it's Scottish." He said teasingly.

"I would totally have known, Sir 'Alister'." Everest kept the most serious face. But then burst out laughing with Alisdair. "It's a good thing you told me or I would have done two blunders in a matter of seconds. Tell me: how was your date with the Princess?"

"Very fun."

"Not romantic?"

"It was, it you count 'dancing and laughing until out of breath' as romantic."

Everest chuckled. "I don't know any dance that brings laughter with it. Dancing is something soft and romantic, is it not?"

Alisdair looked at him, puzzled. "You certainly never have heard of Irish and Scottish dances, then. Those dances are for having fun. I'll bring you to a Ceilidh one day. That is, when there are Ceilidhs in Illéa." He said, looking at me with an amused smile. I smiled back and nodded. Everest didn't miss that, neither did the cameras.

"When there are what?"

"Ceilidhs. Celtic night clubs." He said with a very serious face. I saw him chewing the inside of his cheeks, trying not to laugh. I tried not to laugh either. The Princess nodding at Celtic night clubs. Who would have thought?

"Sir, are you messing with me?" Everest asked, playfully poking Alisdair on the arm. I noticed Alisdair scowl at the touch. Apparently he didn't like to be poked. Everest immediately saw his mistake. "Uhm, well, thank you for you time, tonight, Sir Alisdair."

Alisdair stood and headed back to his chair, not looking back.

"All right! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is all the time we have for tonight. Tune in next Friday for more Selected interviews! Good night to you all."

The Anthem played again, and the cameras went off.

I didn't wait any longer before walking to Everest. I grabbed his elbow. "We need to talk."

He sighed, but allowed me to take him away. I headed behind some of the curtains on the far end of the studio.

"Everest. What happened today?" I whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on! Each time I talked about the boys you blushed. And then when those pictures came up you almost lost it. What happened? Please tell me you're not gay: you're married to a beautiful woman and have the prettiest two year old daughter. It would be a complete disaster if you were…"

"No, I'm not gay. Look, this is new to me." He sighed and let his arms fall to his sides. "I'm just so used to being around you girls – and I have three sisters, remember? And a wife and a daughter. I'm used to be around girls. Boys are kind of new territory for me, in this job. I know how to interview ladies, queens and princesses. I know how to make them feel comfortable in front of a camera. But look at that almost disaster with Alisdair. I shouldn't have poked him. I though he was going to kill me just with his eyes. I don't know how to interview them."

"Everest," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "You know how to interview my Father."

"No. I don't. I hardly ever interview him alone. Either he starts himself the _Report_ with announcements, or he's with the Queen. I'm telling you, I have no idea what to do ."

"Do you think it would be a good idea for you to hang out with them some times during the week? You would get to know them and see them interact together."

He shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know."

"Everest, you've fallowed our family for the past five years. I know you well enough to tell you that this little issue is going to be erased in no time. You're a great TV host, and you always do a great job."

"Thanks." He said softly.

"Oh come on." I hugged him. "Now go back to your wife, and I'll see you later this week, okay?"

He nodded. He pushed the curtains and left me alone in the nearly dark alcove. I sighed and rubbed my temples. I braced myself for a loud dinner with the boys and got out of my hiding place.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 **All right, how'd you like this chapter? ;-) thanks for the few date ideas I recieved from you =) I'll be using them... so stay tuned for more!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the sweet reviews! I love when you give me some new ideas about your boys or what you would want to see next.**

 ** _Chapter 13_**

On Saturday morning, I tried to sleep in as much as I could. But nearly at dawn, I heard soft footsteps in my room, and someone climbed in my bed. I groaned.

"Maggie, do you know what time it is?" I mumbled, my face buried in my pillow.

"No. But I can't sleep." she whispered.

"Fine. Come here." She cuddled herself against me and I wrapped my arm around her. Thankfully we both fell back asleep until Anna came to wake me up.

"Good morning, My Lady." She said with a bright and happy voice.

I groaned again, and felt Maggie stir beside me. "You sure seem happy, today, Anna. What's the good news?" I said, my eyes still closed.

"Oh. None actually. I'm just happy, that's all." She smiled widely.

I eyed her suspiciously. "Yeah right. You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

She laughed. "Of course not! Can't I be happy, just because I want to be happy?"

"Hm, sure. Suit yourself." I kicked the covers away but Maggie grabbed them and pulled them back. I sighed and climbed over her to get out of my bed. I headed for the shower and yawned.

Breakfast was uneventful, as was the morning with Father. There was nothing new coming from the strikers, so we let it go. Lunch was loud, like every meal. The sun was shining bright, high in the sky and it was yet again a perfect day for a pool party. But I wanted it to be a bit different from the first one.

"Gentlemen, I'll be working with Father again for some time this afternoon, so please feel free to use the gardens and swimming pool as you wish. This is your home, for the time being, so just make yourself comfortable and do whatever you want. I may or may not be joining you later on in the afternoon." I smiled mischievously and walked away, listening to their reactions. I heard the words soccer, baseball and swimming. Good.

I headed for Father's office and worked for a few more hours. When I thought my head would explode from the load of words mixing together on the page in front of me, I kissed my Father on the temple and went to my room. Anna undid the thirty small round buttons of my dress and I put my bathing suit on. I needed the sun and fresh water on my skin in order to feel better. The heat was killing me, and the tight dresses didn't help.

I put my flipflops and my sunglasses on, and pulled on a light beach dress over my swimsuit, and I headed for the gardens. As I came closer to the closed doors – we try to keep the heat outside – I heard splashes, laughter and shrieks. I smiled because I recognized Maggie's laugh. To hear her, she was having a good time. I opened the door and took the scene in.

Some of the boys were in the pool, cooling off, and some were kicking a soccer ball nearby. But what made me grin and my heart melt was to see Maggie blindfolded, and running after the boys playing with her. I haven't played Blind-Man's Buff in ages! And she was having a great time. Caleb, Evan and Markus were calling her, trying to make her change directions. Michael was laughing and couldn't seem to stay on his two feet: he fell on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Adam and Alec were running around Maggie, trying to confuse her. Kenan and Andreas were chuckling together, waiting for Maggie to come back their way.

Hunter was snapping pictures of the whole scene. I silently walked beside him.

"I'd like to see those pictures later, if you don't mind." He jumped and turned around.

"Your Highness! I mean... Rosaline. I didn't hear you coming." He smiled shyly. "Yeah, I'll show you the pictures, if you want."

"I'd like that very much." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed beet-red and I quickly walked away. I couldn't believe I had just done that. I let my dress fall to the ground near a lounging chair and descended the pool steps in the refreshing water.

I saw Alisdair sitting on the lower steps, water all the way up to his neck, his head leaning on the pool edge and his eyes closed. "Are you all right, Alisdair?"

He opened his eyes. "Yeah. I just hate the heat. I'm trying to cool off a bit."

I laughed and sat next to him. "I totally understand."

"Oh, by the way, you can call me Al."

"Al. Okay." I slipped my head under the water and came back up. It felt really good to have fresh water stream down my face. I swam away to talk with others who were in the pool.

"Hi Fed!"

"Oh, hello Rosaline. You finally decided to join us?" he said teasingly.

"Yeah, I thought I could make an exception for you guys." I answered with a straight face. But then I burst out giggling. "No, seriously, I just wanted to get my work done before taking the rest of the day off to see all of you."

"So now you're free?"

"Yep. What is it you do, already? You're so muscular!" I said looking at his upper body that was over the water line.

He flexed his arms. "Ha. Thanks! I'm a bodyguard actually."

"Oh, yeah, right! For who?"

"Zell Martla. You've heard of her, right?"

I frowned. The name did ring a bell, but I couldn't put a face on the name. "The name, yes. But I can't remember where I heard it."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Everyone knows about her. I can't believe you don't. She's an actress."

"Oh! Of course! She played in that super-hero movie with the Aliens, right?"

"Yes! Ugh, you almost got me there."

I laughed. "Well, I'm afraid I can't be perfect in every aspect of my life. My erudition in movies is not as good as I wish. I don't have a lot of time to watch movies."

"I didn't think about that. We'll have to change that, then." He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

I chuckled. "I'd like that. I'll arrange for a movie night together. Soon."

"Is that a date?"

"Might be." I winked.

"Good." he grinned and dived in the water, emerging a few feet away. I shook my head and got out of the water.

I wrapped myself in my towel and called for one of the maids. Judith came and I asked her to bring ice-cream for everyone. I sat on my chair, taking in the summer Angeles sun and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, I heard some commotion and I knew the ice-cream was here. I didn't move, though. I opened my eyes behind my sunglasses to observe them. They lined up and chose their ice-cream. There were so many flavours; it took some time for all of them to decide what to have.

"Would you like some ice-cream, too, Rosaline?"

I smiled and nodded hungrily. "That's very kind of you Tristan."

"What flavours?"

"Uhm... mango, lime and stracciatella."

"All right. Be right back." he left and stood at the end of the line. Ugh. Those boys were so beautiful to look at. Then I saw one with tattoos. I looked at his face. Huh. Nigel. I can't believe I didn't see that last time. I wondered what they meant. I decided to ask him some other time. Tristan came back with two ice-cream cones and handed one to me.

"That was a good choice, I took the same." he said, sitting on the chair next to mine.

"I know." I chuckled. "I always take those three, they're my favourites!"

The rest of the afternoon wore on in a very good mood, splashing, playing ball and laughing. It felt like a vacation. I wished everyday was like this.

One hour before dinner time, the cooks came out with barbecues and plates of raw meat to grill. I widened my eyes. They never did this before! I saw mom coming out of the doors and walking towards me, a grin on her face.

"Mom, whose idea was this?"

"Mine." she said proudly with that grin still on her face. "We used to do this a lot with my family, before my Selection. Barbecue times were always my favourite times during the summer. And with so many boys here, I thought they'd enjoy it, too."

"Mom, this is such a great idea! I can't wait to eat. What did Father say?"

She tilted her head. "Well, he said it would a good occasion for the King and the Queen to have a little alone time."

"Like a date?"

She blushed a little. "Yeah. While you enjoy your barbecue with your boys, we are going to-"

"Please don't say anymore, I can imagine, thank you. Ugh!"

She laughed and kissed my cheek before walking away.

Footmen installed a couple tables and maids put a white tablecloth on them. Others came out with all sorts of food: ten different kinds of salads, beverages, sauces, and anything that the cooks had prepared. We didn't have plastic plates, so a huge pile of china plates was stacked at one end of the table – it must have been the fanciest barbecue the boys had ever had! When the meat and sausages were cooked, we started eating, sitting wherever we wanted: on the lounging chairs, on the grass, on stone benches,…

After that awesome dinner, I asked one of the footmen to get out one of the braziers and to light a fire. He obliged, of course, and in no time we had a huge fire burning in the middle of the gardens.

"Rose! This is soooo cool!" Maggie danced around me.

I laughed and hugged her close. "I'm glad you're happy, Mags." I whispered in her ear. She wiggled herself out of my hug and ran away to talk to the boys. I shook my head and grinned.

"Rosaline."

I turned around. "Julius! Did you enjoy your meal?"

"Very much, yes. Um. I was wondering if, you know…" He showed me his guitar case.

"Oh! I didn't know you played the guitar. I thought you were a Chess player?"

"I am. But I am a man of many talents." He grinned. "Are we going to do campfire songs?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "Campfire songs?"

He shrugged. "You know. Singing silly songs around the fire."

I laughed. "I've never done that before. But that would be an excellent idea!"

"Okay." He grinned and walked away. I went to sit near the Brazier and one by one, the boys came, too, sitting in a wide circle around the brazier. Kate was here, too, and Maggie was pulling Adam's hand. She made him sit and she sat in his lap. I found that was so cute. I'd have to get to know Adam better, if only for Maggie's sake.

Julius tuned his guitar and started playing a few chords.

"Hey! I know this song!" Hunter said.

"Yeah, me too!" Caleb replied.

A few started singing along. I had never heard that song, so I listened. But it was an easy tune and the words were so silly, I had no problem singing along, too. As soon as this song was over, Julius started a new one. I saw Alisdair stand and run away, only to come back a few minutes later with his fiddle! This was going to be interesting. We sang one song after the other. I was glad to learn new ones. Well, all of them were new to me, actually! Maggie was clapping her hands and bouncing up and down on Adam's lap who was laughing and trying to sing at the same time.

The sky was getting darker, and the flames danced in the middle of our circle, illuminating our faces with yellow and orange streaks of light. Suddenly, I had an idea. I called for Judith, who was on the bench near the door, waiting to see if I needed anything.

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Two things, Judith. First, would you mind getting some marshmallows for us in the kitchen? And second: would you get Anna for me, please?"

She curtsied. "Of course, My Lady."

"Thank you!"

I turned my attention back to the boys.

"Rosaline?"

I search the face who was talking. And I saw Theo waving his hand. "Yes, Theo?"

"I noticed you always say 'please' and 'thank you' to your staff. Why?"

Now that was an odd question. "Um, because I was taught to say 'please' and 'thank you'?"

"With all due respect, Rosaline. I'm myself a housekeeper, and my Masters never say it."

"They must be terrible masters!"

"Oh no, quite the contrary! They just don't want to waste time saying it one hundred times per day. It's implicit."

"Oh. Well I guess I don't say it every single time, though. Like when I'm angry or in a hurry or something." I shrugged.

Judith came back with three bags of candy and sticks for everyone, which we passed around. Anna also came, too. I told her what I wanted from my room and she hurried away. She came back as we were roasting our marshmallows over the flames. Maggie's candy burst into flames, but Adam gave her his and took a new one for himself. I took what Anna had brought me: I slipped on my harem pants and light sweatshirt. Evan, who was sitting next to me, laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

He chuckled. "Nothing. I'm just still not used to see a princess wearing pants."

I shook my head in amusement and smacked his arm playfully. "Try wearing heels and dresses every single day. Pants are a true relief for me."

Everybody laughed. "Ugh, guys. You are making this Selection the hardest there will ever be. I can't seem to find one of you better than another one, you're all just great. I hope you'll help me choose."

"Why don't you kiss us all, one after the other, and eliminate the bad kissers?" Alec wiggled his eyebrows and everyone burst out laughing. Except me.

"Oh, gosh… I couldn't do this."

"Why not?"

I mumbled something I hoped they wouldn't hear.

"What did you say?" Andreas leaned in closer.

I straighten my back and, well, better be done with it. I closed my eyes and talked real fast. "Because I have never kiss anyone or been kissed before and I want my first kiss to be special." I exhaled and kept my eyes shut. There, I said it.

"Oh." That's all the reaction there was. "Why?"

I sighed. "Because I always knew I would have a Selection one day, and that it was no use falling in love before that. So I never got the chance to kiss anyone or be kissed."

"Not even Prince Philippe?" Kate asked with a mischievous smile on her lips.

I glared at her. "Of course not."

"Wow." Nigel said, amazed. "You actually kept yourself for us?"

I was so glad night had finally fallen, because I felt my cheeks redden. "Yes."

There was silence for some time, the crackling sound of the fire filling the night.

"Well, I think it's only fair that we each tell a secret about us, now that Rosaline revealed one of her own." Markus said, on my right. "I'll start." He exhaled. "I have a really loud laugh that I hate more than anything. I'd do anything to change it."

I wanted to laugh. That wasn't really what I would call a secret. But if it was for him, I would respect that.

"Even though I'm a Seven," Evan continued, "I speak four languages fluently and am in the process of learning two more." Wow. That could come in handy in a Prince Consort. Wait, what?

Westley was next. "I'm terribly afraid of thunderstorms." I smothered a laugh. Focus, Rose. Don't laugh! These guys are telling things that are serious and real problems for them. Empathy!

"Dying alone." Was that Alec? The dancing flames made if harder to see who was talking now.

"I have a very strong faith that Nutella was perhaps the greatest creation on earth. And my best friend mocks me for it. Don't laugh." Adam said playfully to Maggie in his lap, who had started to giggle.

"I can whistle a wide range of complicated songs!" Said Kenan.

"I've had a secret relationship with Zell Martla. I'm her bodyguard, so yeah." Fed. Seriously?

"Even though I'm an actor, I'm a real introvert." Aaron's small voice made no mistake.

"Well," started Julius, "I'm very clumsy on things that need daft hands. I can't hammer a nail straight."

"I was born as a five, and so, even as a basketball player, I have a secret passion for art. Nobody knows. So please keep that to yourself." Justin? The 6'5'' tall guy loves art? Now this was getting interesting.

"Since my fiancée died in a plane crash, I'm aviophobic. I had to come here by car." Tristan.

"I'm afraid of the dark. I sleep with a small light on." Caleb.

"I can't swim." Andreas.

"I'm very bad at cooking. I almost killed my stepfather with my cooking. I wish I had, though." Jerad quickly added.

"I've have several girlfriends in the past, and they all broke up with me. Now I'm afraid of getting close to anyone and have my heart broken. Again." Hunter.

"If there is only one bee in the vicinity, you'll see me running like a madman. I'm allergic to them." Micheal.

"I love to take long baths, up to three hours long." Matt. I didn't have three hours for a bath. Lucky him.

"I'm deaf." Theo said, out of the blue. "I had a accident when I was little, and now I'm deaf. But I lip-read very well. It gets harder in the dark, though." Huh. This totally makes sense. Like he's always intently looking at me when I talk. He's looking at my lips, and not my eyes – or whatever else.

Axel cleared his throat. "Um. I have never told this to anyone. I've had a crush on Princess Rosaline since I was thirteen years old." Silence. I wanted to laugh so hard, but I forced myself to keep a straight face. I was pretty sure hundreds of boys across the country had had a crush on one of us at least at one point in their lives.

"I'm afraid of large, dangerous animals. Although I don't encounter much of those." Daxton.

"I often have to give my food to my siblings. I'm their sole provider and, as a construction worker, I don't make a lot of money." Kurt's voice quivered at the end. My heart broke for him.

"I'm a War Veteran and I have PTSD. I also have frequent nightmares. So I'm afraid to sleep." Poor Logan. I wish I could do something to help.

"Well, my secret's not as dark as others… but this is a rarity in my family: I can bake very decent cakes!" Seriously, Al? Cakes when others had PTSD?

"My dream is to find love and settle down to start a family." Logan's voice was so small. Aww. I can help with that! Huh? Did I just think that?

Silence filled the night again, letting the fire die down on its own. This was pretty intense. One by one we silently stood and headed back to our respective rooms, not wanting to break the spell of this amazing night. How on earth was I going to choose only one?

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 **Hope you liked this chapter ;-) sorry for the lenght, though. I couldn't stop writing, and I didn't know where to split it in two, so yeah *shrugs* ;-)**

 **Who's your favorite Character, so far? ;-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! OMG thank you so much for all your reviews on the last chapter! there were a few questions, though, so here you are...  
**

 **1) how do I update this fast? well, I don't have what you call a full time job. I'm a substitute teacher until the end of june, so I only have a job when other teachers are sick or can't come to school. so yeah, I basically write all day long^^ and I like to have 1 or 2 chapters written ahead so I can update for you guys even if I didn't have time to write...**

 **2) the boys' secrets? you'll get to know a little bit deeper about some of the secrets revealed in the last chapter along the way. don't worry!**

 **3) What is happening to Axl (or the dismissed boys)? I already have enough characters to keep up with as it is, i can't follow what every single person is doing. besides, it's Rosaline's POV and she doesn't know everything... ;-)**

 **... and I just wanted to add that you guys are awesome! i seriously couldn't have come up with all those amazing guys with different characters (and I do hope they're not virtually all the same...). Don't hesitate to share this story with your Selection lover friends :-) we just hit last night 1k+ views... and I know we can do better than that! ;-)**

 **ok, enough talking, let's get down to BUSINESS!**

 _ **Chapter 14**_

"Rosaline, we have a problem." Father stood in the doorframe of my room. Anna was doing my hair.

"What is it?" I looked at his reflection in the mirror. His face was strained.

"The strike is on. And you were right. They were waiting, only to make something huge." I knew he wouldn't say anything more with Anna around. I felt her fingers work faster in my hair. As soon as she was done, I slipped on some heels and followed Father to the conference room. All of his advisers and counsellors were there. They stopped talking when we entered and they stood. The men bowed and the women curtsied. I bowed my head in return.

Father sat and I followed his lead.

"Princess," Sir Andrew started. "We've waited long enough without doing anything about those strikers. Now they're doing it, and we're not prepared."

"How long have they been on strike, Sir Andrew?" I asked.

"Since yesterday morning. We sent men to threaten them to stop, but they wouldn't move. Do you have any ideas? If we let them continue, they'll starve the whole country."

"Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because all the workers on the food chain – farmers, factory workers, supermarket employees – stopped working." He looked at everyone. "What do you suggest we do?"

I let them talk for some time, listening to what they had to say. I knew Father wanted me to take care of this. It was one of his tests to see if I would be a good Queen. Over the years, I've noticed these tests. Not all of them. But this was one of those.

But I had so much on my mind, right now. First, the Selection. Second, changing my public image. And third, this strike. But as I listened to the people talking, and let my own thoughts make their way in my mind, an idea emerged. A brilliant idea. An idea that would take care of two of my problems in one shot. _If_ it worked, mind you. I stopped listening to what was said, and let a plan take form in my mind. Yes, it would be perfect.

When I was sure about it, I blurt it out. "Let me talk to them."

Only silence answered me.

Father was the first one to react, though. "I beg your pardon?"

"Let _me_ talk to them." I said again.

"How?"

"Send me to the place where there is the biggest group of strikers. And I'll talk to them." I explained the rest of my idea. Slowly, one by one, they started to nod and like my idea. All, except for General Finlee.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, this is way too dangerous. It would require dozens of guards. Strikers can be very unpredictable when they're angry. I can't let them shoot you down while you speak to them."

"I'll wear a bullet-proof vest if you want, General."

"That's not even questionable, Your Highness. But a bullet-proof vest won't stop a bullet to the head. "

I turned to Father. "Just let me do this, okay? Trust me. Please."

Father sighed and ran his fingers in his hair. He rubbed his face and sighed again. "Rose, darling, I can't loose you. You're the future Queen. If something happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. Or what your mother would do."

"Look. If something happens to me, blame it on the General and his guards." Father looked at General Finlee. But I continued. "Father, I need to do this. Please."

He sighed again, debating if he could let me go. "Fine."

"Thank you!" I kissed his cheek. " Where is the biggest group of strikers?"

"In Kent, Your Highness."

"General, when would you be ready to leave?"

"I can have a large group of men ready at noon."

"We'll leave at noon, then. Lady Cora? I need you to get the media I talked about ready. I want this retransmitted live in every home tonight. Understood?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Good." I stood. "Let's get this done. Oh, and I'll have the boy from Kent come with me. I can't remember who it is, but I'll go talk to him."

Lady Cora flipped a few pages from her binder. "It's Sir Nigel Duchamp, Your Highness."

"Thank you." I gathered my skirts and walked away to my room.

"Anna?" I called out.

"Yes, My Lady?" She came out of the bathroom, a towel in her hands.

"I need to change in some comfortable and informal clothes. We're leaving at noon."

"Very well."

Anna rummaged through my old closet and found the perfect outfit: a pair of jeans, black heels, a white blouse and a black leather jacket. I would be wearing the bullet-proof vest under the leather jacket. I put those clothes on and went to the first floor. The boys were having their morning lesson with Lord Calyster in the Men's Parlour. I knocked.

Alisdair opened and stared at me for a few seconds.

"Lord Calyster, may I borrow Sir Nigel for a moment?"

"Of course, Princess. Sir Nigel, you may go." Nigel stood uncomfortably and walked to me. When he was out, I closed the door and led him in a small alcove in the hall, where I knew there would be a bench. I sat and invited him to do the same.

He eyed me quizzically.

"Don't tell me you're not used to seeing me in pants. It's not the first time. Nigel, I need you to come with me to Kent."

"What? Why?"

"There's a strike going on, and I plan on talking to the strikers. I'll tell you more about it on the way there. Will you come?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

I sighed, relieved. "Thank you. We're leaving at noon, I want you to be ready, and wearing anything but a suit. Something a little less formal. All right?"

"Okay." We both stood. It was 11 o'clock, we'd be leaving in an hour. I headed to my room and took out a pen and some paper. I tried to concentrate on my speech. Almost an hour later, Anna called for me and told me that General Finlee was ready and waiting for me. I folded the paper and took the pen, stuffing both in one of my leather jacket pocket. When I arrived at the door, Nigel was already there, dressed almost the same way as me – gosh was he handsome in a jeans, white V-neck t-shirt and casual blazer! We entered in the Limo with the General. A car ful of guards followed us. We drove to the airport.

The trip on the plane lasted only a few hours. I told Nigel about my plan.

"Are you sure you want to do this? The General is right. It could be dangerous."

"It could. But I'm sure I won't." I sighed. "This is the only way. If it doesn't work by force and threats, it should work my way."

"But what do you need _me_ for?"

"I don't know, really. I thought that maybe seeing the boy from there Province would calm them down. And make them listen to what I have to say."

He nodded, and looked out the window for a moment.

"Nigel?" He turned his head and looked at me. "I just wanted you to know that what you said the other night by the fire was pretty brave. I don't know if it's common among boys to want to settle down and start a family. But how you said it made my heart melt a little."

"Really? I made the Princess' heart melt?" his smile was all I could look at. But then I saw his cognac coloured eyes and I lost myself into them for a second.

"A little." I said, smiling.

"Well, what you said, was brave, too. I was amazed."

"It is true. I've never kissed anyone. Or been kissed by anyone." I looked at my hands in my lap, nervously playing with the seatbelt.

He leaned close to me. "Would you like me to be your first kiss?" he whispered in my ear.

My eyes widened and I felt heat rising up in my cheeks. But two could play at this game. "Why not?" I whispered back. "But not right now, though. I have bigger problems to face."

He leaned on his backseat. "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Oh, no. Don't worry." I took his hand in mine. "It's nice to know I'm likable enough for someone to actually want to kiss me." I said softly, not daring to look at him.

"Rose," he said softly, and I looked at him. "You're more than likable. You're an incredible strong, independent woman." He rubbed his thumb on the back on my hand. "You're lovable."

I smiled. But I needed to focus on the task ahead. General Finlee had me put the bullet-proof vest and secured a mike on my leather jacket, that would be connected to the loudspeakers there, and an earpiece in my ear. The plane started its descent and I closed my eyes, controlling my breathing. Nigel had taken my hand back in his, and he was soothingly rubbing his thumb on mine. It helped me relax a bit. We landed and a Limo was waiting for us on the tarmac. We drove out of town and to a huge industrial zone. Hundreds and hundreds of people were sitting on the road and in front of the factory. I had never seen a building this big – except for the Palace of course. I saw two cameramen on one side and the Limo stopped, because the road was blocked by strikers.

I inhaled deeply and opened the door. Nigel was on my heels, and General Finlee walked in front of me. He orders six men to walk around me. I was in a prison of men. We walked all the way to the entrance of the factory. The seated strikers looked ar us without a single word. We walked all the way up to the steps and I faced the angry mass. As one man, they all stood. Nigel and General Finlee came closer to me. But I needed space to breathe.

I made a step forward. I heard the Cameraman in my ear say that the Cameras were rolling. I was Live. I looked at my paper one last time and then put it back in my pocket.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, workers of Illéa. I am here in front of you to tell you that I hurt with you. I know what it is to work long hours to-"

"No you don't!" Someone yelled from the crowd. "You always had everything you ever wanted. You're a snob! You don't know what hunger is. You don't know what labour is! You don't know wha-"

"You're right!" I cut him. "I don't. But what I know is that my heart beats with my country. If my country is hungry, I'll be hungry with it. If my country is unhappy, I'll be unhappy. If my country is sad, I'll cry with it. If my country is happy, I'll rejoice with it." I paused, taking a few seconds to calm my trembling hands. "I know my heart beats with yours." I heard my voice echo over the thousands of faces. I walked down the steps, to be on the same level as them. General Finlee grabbed my elbow. I shook my head and he let go.

I resumed my speech – but it wasn't the one I had written. "I want my country to by happy, so I can be happy. I want you to have hope and a future. If not for yourselves, then for your children." I paused again, making eye contact with those who looked my way. "I know you want better wages. But then food in the supermarkets will be more expensive, and lower Castes won't be able to eat. We're trying to find a way so that everyone can live good enough lives." I was sure my words were getting nowhere. "I want to help you! I want to make your life better! I do. But we need to work together. We need to work hand in hand. I need your heart to beat with mine, because mine beats with yours. We need each other." I let the words sink in. "Are you ready to that? To work with me? To have your heart beat with mine?" My voice wasn't commanding at all. It was more of a plea than anything else.

I heard small sobs from a woman in the front row. I walked to her. "What's your name?" I asked gently.

"Amanda Walkeer, Your Majesty." she didn't look at me. Her voice was so soft.

"Amanda, are you ready to work with me?" She nodded, still not looking at me. And she burst out crying. I hugged her close to me – I hoped she wouldn't notice the bullet-proof vest – and she clung to me, sobbing in my shoulder. Other women started crying, too, and I hugged them all in turn. I totally forgot about the cameras and that it was Live in every home now. Men came, too, and I shook their hands, asking their names and if they were ready to work with me. Most of them said yes. But some were suspicious. This wasn't the Princess they were used to seeing. And I knew that. This was my first attempt to tear down the wall.

After some time, I heard General Finlee talk in my ear – thanks to the mikes – telling me it was time to end the meeting. I walked back to the stairs, touching hands and shoulders as I passed by. I faced the people again. "If you're ready to work with me and to let your hearts beat with mine, shout it, so that the whole country will hear you!" Happy shouts and cries emanated from the crowd in front of me. And I wished this was the reaction everywhere. Because not only was this Live in homes, but also in every place where there were strikers. I wanted to get to the heart of everyone, tonight.

I smiled, and I felt a tear stream down my cheek. But I didn't dry it away. I wanted my country to see that I was happy, happy to have my people on my side and ready to have their heart beat with mine. Because, man! My heart was swelling with love for Illéa.

General Finlee walked me back to the Limo, and just like that, we were gone, and back on the plane, Nigel beaming next to me. We were going back home.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey y'all! hope you like this chapter ;-) things are gonna get pretty serious now with the boys... be prepared^^  
**

 ** _Chapter 15_**

The Limo entered the gravel path and stopped in front of the stone stairs. Nigel, always the gentleman, helped me out of the car. I walked up the stairs with him trailing behind me. I opened the doors, and a thunder of applause welcomed us. Father had a grin so wide I thought it would make his face split in two. Everyone was here, even though it was the middle of the night!

Father walked to me and hugged me close. "I'm proud of you, darling." He whispered in my ear. It was all it took. I burst out crying in his arms. After every time I had failed him these past few days, he was still proud of me. It made my heart swell. Mom also came and she hugged both of us. We totally forgot about General Finlee and the boys, it was a magical moment.

The General cleared his voice, which made us snap back to reality. The boys didn't know where to look or what to do. One by one, they retreated to their rooms for the night. I just grabbed Nigel's wrist before he went too far away. He waited for all the boys to be gone.

"Good night, Rose." Father said, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "We'll talk about all this in the morning, okay?"

I nodded and hugged mom. They both left, along with the General, and I was left alone with Nigel. I turned to face him.

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."

He shrugged, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I didn't do anything."

"You were there, and that was plenty." Without thinking of what I was doing, I hugged him, taking in his scent. He hugged me back, resting his chin on my head. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually we both let go.

"Good night, Princess." He took my hand and kissed the back of it. He locked eyes with me, winked and turned around, walking away to the stairs.

I was too excited after this long day to go to sleep now, so I carefully made my way down to the kitchens for some herbal tea that would help me sleep. Nobody was there; I had the place for myself. I filled the kettle and waited for the water to boil. I looked for a mug, a spoon, some sugar and the herbal tea box. There were twenty different kinds, so I took one that said 'good night sleep'. When the water was ready, I prepared my tea. I can never drink it this hot, so I waited, my head resting on my hand, and playing with the tea bag.

I was lost in my thoughts, thinking about this crazy afternoon, when I heard the kitchen doors open and somebody come in. I lifted my head.

"Julius! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Your Highness. I'm sorry to disturb you." He started to walk away.

"Julius, please stay." I hope that was not too commanding. "I'd like the company." I smiled slightly and invited him to sit across from me. "Would you like some tea?"

He sat. "Uhm, yeah. That's what I came for, actually." He chuckled. He stood to get his tea.

"No, no, no, don't move. I'll fix you your tea."

"Nah, I can't let you serve me."

"Why not? 'Cause I'm the Princess?" He shrugged. "I'll let you know I can prepare great teas." I filled the kettle again and looked for a second mug, a spoon, the sugar and the tea box. He watched me the whole time. "Do you come here often, Julius?"

"Yeah, pretty much every night. Night time is my favourite time of the day."

"Why?"

"Because the silence is soothing, especially after a day with the other Selected. You should try spending an afternoon cooped up in the Men's Parlour, with loud guys playing pool, or ping-pong or table soccer. It gets pretty loud."

"I can easily imagine that." The kettle whistled and I poured the water in his mug. He put his tea-bag in it and waited for it to darken the water.

"What you did today, Rosaline, was remarkable. You didn't even flinch when the guy cut you. I hate it when someone interrupts me. You did great."

I chuckled, testing my tea. But it was still too hot. "Thanks. It absolutely wasn't what I had planned on saying. But a good friend of mine once told me not to use my brain too much, but to rely on my guts, and listen to my heart. I guess I kind of tried to do that, today."

"That you did." He sipped his tea. How could he drink that? It was still steaming. "Why did you take Nigel with you?"

I looked at him. Was there a hint of – what's it called, jealousy? – in his voice? I shrugged. "I'm not sure. He's from Kent and I just wanted the strikers from Kent to see a known face with me. I didn't really think beyond that." But I was glad he had come, though.

"Hm. That's all?"

"Yeah. Why did you think I took him with me?"

He tried to keep an indifferent voice, but his brown eyes said something else. "I don't know. Maybe you've started to have favourites. You said the other night that you couldn't decide who was better than the others. Well, have you changed your mind?"

I waited a few seconds before answering. "I might have."

His shoulders slumped a little.

"Look, this is how the Selection works, Julius. Only one remains. Thirty-four have to be eliminated. You know that."

He snorted. "Is this just a game for you? Like there's only one winner, and thirty-four losers. Heart-broken losers?"

"Julius, this is not a game. This is my life. And I'm going to chose whoever I want."

"I don't even have a chance, do I?"

I looked at my tea, hoping I would find an answer there. But nothing came. I didn't know what to say. How could he ask me that after only two weeks? Yes, I had a soft spot for some of them, but that was all. I didn't even know him that well.

"I'll take that as a no." He said, finishing his tea in one gulp, and then headed for the door. "I'm going home in the morning. Good bye, Your Majesty." He said, bowing sarcastically.

"You can't do that."

"Why not?" He turned around, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because you can't go until I dismiss you."

"Then dismiss me. I don't want to waste my time here."

I looked at him, debating what to do. I didn't think there could be a chance anyway with him. "Fine. You can go home tomorrow morning." I sighed, and he stormed through the door.

I let my head fall on my arms crossed on the table. Did I just really dismiss Julius? Or did he dismiss himself? Ugh, this is going to be hard. I finished my tea, burning my tongue and throat in the process and put the two mugs in the sink. I didn't have the energy to clean up all this. I walked back to my room like a zombie, carrying my shoes in my hand, so as to not make any noise and wake up the whole Palace. I undressed and put my nightgown on, falling swiftly asleep, thanks to the 'good nights sleep' tea.

"Good morning, My Lady." Anna said, opening the curtains, blinding me. I pulled the covers over my face, grumbling. Then I jerked my eyes open. I just remembered that I had had a brilliant idea during the night – haha, I seem to be full of those these days! – that I couldn't miss. I kicked the covers and ran to father's office in my nightgown, praying he would be alone.

"Father! I have an idea!"

"Good morning to you, too, Rose." He said chuckling and sipping his coffee.

I composed myself. "Good morning, Father." I curtsied slightly. Then I dragged a chair next to him and sat.

"So, what about that great idea of yours?"

I grinned. "Yesterday went pretty well. So I thought, maybe, that I could do more of those visits."

He just stared at me. "What kind of visits?"

"I don't know. Maybe hospitals, schools, orphanages, prisons, anything! And it would we televised, of course."

"But why?"

"Father, did you even listen to what I said yesterday to the strikers? My heart beats with my people. I want them to know that. I don't want it only to be words, but actions, too." I was excited.

He smiled. "That's my girl. We'll talk to the Board this morning and see what they think about it. But I like it."

I hugged him and then ran back to my room to get ready. Anna had already laid out my outfit. The shower was quick, and I was eager to get the day started, and my idea to the advisors. As soon as breakfast was over, I rushed to the conference room, making a few notes for as to not to forget what exactly I wanted. I knew they would pepper me with questions, and that I easily lost my trail of thoughts in those moments.

The King's men arrived and we started talking about my idea. I was ready with so many arguments in favour to my idea, that they couldn't tear it down. And Father was on my side, so it helped. Before lunch, we had already made a list of places to visit and I was proud. This was my second step to tearing the wall down. They would know I was not a snob. The name of the campaign – that's how they're calling it: a campaign – was 'My Heart Beats With Yours'. At least I had come up with the name in my speech. But Lady Cora thought it was a good idea to us it this way, too. Everyone accepted.

That day, there was a terrible heat wave. It was impossible to stay outside. The boys either stayed in their rooms, their curtains closed, trying to find a cool spot, or lounged in the Men's Parlour. There was a good dynamic among the boys. I noticed some groups forming, though. I didn't want to meddle with that, I had enough problems of my own.

As I walked to the Women's Room, I heard Maggie talking to someone. I hid behind the corner and peeked: it was Logan. I listened to what they were saying.

"And so, that is why I was humming that song." He said.

Maggie giggled. "Do you mind if we tell that to each other instead of saying good-bye?"

He chuckled. "Of course. You know, you really do remind me of my little sister. You would love her."

"I already do, Logan! I wish I could meet her, though."

"Well, I don't know if this will be possible."

"Yeah." I could clearly imagine her small shoulders slump. "Okay, well, Sir Logan, 'A very merry unbirthday to you'! I have to go."

He laughed softly. "'A very merry unbirthday to you', Maggie". I heard her small feet landing on the ground – she was sitting on his lap – and she ran in my direction. I grabbed her as she ran past and shrieked with laughter, and because I frightened her, too.

We both laughed and walked hand in hand to the Women' Room. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"'A very merry unbirthday to you'?"

She giggled. "It's just something he says to his little sister before going anywhere. Did you know he had a little sister about my age?" I shook my head. "Well, he does. And you know what? While I sing 'Bibidi Bobidi Boo' all day long around the Palace, she sings 'A very merry unbirthday to you' all day long. Logan thinks we would be friends if I knew her. Oh, and he also told me he was her legal guardian since his father was in prison. He didn't tell me why, but you know-"

I stopped listening to her because I realized there were still so many things I didn't know about them, and it felt like a huge unclimable mountain in front of me. But today was impossible to do anything or think straight with the heat wave. We entered the Women's Room and mom was here with Kate, both their skirts pulled up to their thighs, and fanning themselves with colourful fans. I knew the only place where it would be cool enough not to suffocate, was the underground levels. But I didn't even have the energy to go anywhere.

I read a book during that afternoon, and the evening was, too, uneventful. The heat exhausted us all, and there was no energy, even dinner was not as loud as other times.

When it was time to go to bed, I stripped down in my underwear and reclined on my pillows. The windows were opened, and the full moon was illuminating my room. At midnight, unable to sleep, I decided to do something I only do on full-moon-heat-wavey nights. I put my swimsuit on – the bikini, since no one was going to see me, anyway – and climbed down my balcony and the outside wall. If I went through the garden doors, guards would chaperone me, and I wanted to be alone.

I silently walked to the swimming pool – thank goodness it wasn't just under the windows but far away, hidden behind a tree hedge and no one would see me. I climbed down the pool steps as silently as I could and sighed with relief as the fresh water cooled off my body. I closed my eyes for a bit.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped and turned around. "Evan, you scared me! What are you doing here?" I whispered, looking around for anybody else around.

He shrugged. "I heard some noise and I saw you climbing down the outside wall and come here. What are you doing?"

I smile mischievously. "Having a midnight bath."

He inhaled sharply. "Are you naked?!"

"What? Of course not! Why would I be?"

"Because midnight baths are suppose to be enjoyed naked." He said with an amused smile.

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't know that. Imagine if someone saw me?" I said sarcastically.

"U-huh." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you waiting for? Come in! But shhh. We don't want to wake the guards over there." I pointed to the garden doors. He looked over there and nodded. He pulled off his t-shirt and his pants – he was just in his underwear – and silently slipped in the water.

"You do that often? The midnight bath?" he swam towards me.

"Nah. Only when the moon is full and there's a heat wave. So today was perfect."

"Ha. That must happen every ten years, then."

"Yeah, more or less." I giggled.

I rested my back against the side of the pool, closing my eyes, and enjoying the near-freshness of the night. I heard him move around, and suddenly he was very close to me, his arms wrapped around my waist. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but screw being the Princess tonight. I was a normal girl having a midnight bath with one of her boyfriends. That sounded weird. Whatever. I looped my arms around his neck and looked at his eyes. His brown eyes reflected the full moon and I thought I could lose myself in them. I didn't notice him coming closer, and out of nowhere, his lips brushed mine. This was a new feeling for me, and it felt like electricity spreading through my body. He pressed his lips harder and kissed me gently. After a few seconds, he backed away and made eye contact with me.

"So, how was that for a first kiss?" he said with a small flirty smile.

"Who says it's my first kiss?" I answered, out of the blue.

He frowned. "I thought you said you had never been kissed before."

"Yeah, that was a few days ago." I whispered.

"Oh."

Then I giggled. "I'm just messing with you!" He laughed, too. "I'm not sure though. Would you mind doing it again? I need a second try to judge tha-"

He didn't need to be asked twice. I let him kiss me again. I was glad to be in the water and in his arms, because I felt my legs wouldn't carry me any longer. I guess that's what first kisses do to you. They just leave you weak and vulnerable. Too soon he broke our kiss and looked at me with such kindness and gentleness in his eyes and his touch. We sat on the pool steps a little longer, but then it was time to go back. We walked hand and hand without talking, and we both climbed up the wall back to our rooms.

What on earth just happened? That was my last thought before falling asleep.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **to Frillabrille201: I hope you wont't hate me for dismissing Julius... but it's part of the Selection, so ya know...^^ but please keep reading (I know this might be a little cheesy, but the creator of Axl hates me now... and I don't want to have haters!^^)**

 **love ya all! 3**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi! thanks you much for the kind reviews on the previous chapter (with some great ideas, too^^). You know, I'm really glad some of you are interested in the "campaign", too, and not only in the Selection... I was afraid that was going to bore you to the bone. but don't worry, the "campaign" won't take all the rest of the story... it's only gonna be part of it^^  
**

 ** _Chapter 16_**

No wonder the rain poured non stop the next after that heat wave. The atmosphere was heavy and electric. It was a huge welcome, though, because the storm brought some freshness to the air. This weather helped me decide who my next date would be. Since we couldn't do anything outside, I decided to do a movie date.

I went to the second floor and knocked on his door. His valet opened.

"Hello, John. Is Fed here?"

"Yes Your Highness. He's in the bathroom, but should be out in a minute." He stepped aside and let me in. I didn't go very far, though. The smell was terrible. I wrinkled my nose and decided to stay in the doorframe. I looked at John with a quizzical face. He chuckled under his breath and came closer, whispering.

"Sir Fed has a tendency to have smelly socks, Your Highness. I would stay where you are and not come any further."

I smothered a laugh. "Thanks for the advice, John. Would you mind getting Fed for me, then? I'll wait outside."

"Of course." He bowed slightly and I went back in the hall, breathing again.

"Rosaline." Fed said, bowing low in front of me.

"Fed. I was wondering if you wanted to have that date we talked about the other day."

"The movie date?"

"Yes. Since it's pouring outside, you know."

"I'd like that." his smile was genuine.

"All right, then follow me." I led us all the way to the Home Cinema. "Do you like popcorn?"

"We can have popcorn?" He sounded amazed.

"Of course. You can have anything you want, here. Well, anything that is manageable, mind you."

"Huh. I guess it makes sense, being in the Palace and all."

"So, popcorn?"

"Yes, please!"

I went to the popcorn machine and made some popcorn. "Fed? You can choose a movie while I try to get us some edible popcorn, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." he said, a grin on his face, heading to the numerous shelves with the thousands of movies lined up. I hadn't seen half of those movies.

"All, right! This one!" He handed me the DVD box. 'The King and The Slave', with a picture of Zell Martla in the front.

"I've never seen it. But are you sure you want to watch this one?"

"Yeah, why not?"

I shrugged. "It's just that you said the other night you had a relationship with Zell. You're going to see her here. Is that okay?"

"Of course. I broke up with her."

"Why? What happened?"

"I got Selected."

I glared at him. "You broke up with her just because you wanted to be in the Selection?"

"Yes. I didn't tell her I was signing up. And I didn't plan to be Selected. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have said anything and broken up with her."

I didn't understand. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "But then why did you sign up in the first place, since you already had a girlfriend?"

"I don't know really. A lot of things can happen with _what ifs_. I guess I just wanted the same chance as everyone else."

"But do you still love her?"

"No." Wow, that was a quick answer.

"All right then." I handed him him his popcorn and he sat on the front row couch while I put the DVD on. When I sat next to him, he immediately put an arm around my shoulders, making a point about what he had just said about Zell: _I don't love her anymore, see?_

Long story short, the King is in love with his Queen until a new courtesan comes to the palace. She's a slave but she is beautiful. The King falls in love with her and forces her to sleep with him. Of course, she accepts, thinking that if she bears a son for him, he'll make her his Queen and divorce the Queen, who is barren. A lot of hot scenes come up between the Slave – a.k.a Zell – and the King.

Each time there was a hot scene, I felt Fed changing positions against me. He wasn't comfortable. I had a feeling this would happen, but I didn't say anything. After the fourth hot scene, he stood.

"You were right, I can't do this." He ran his hands in his hair, his back to the screen. I pushed the _pause_ button – stopping the image on the Slave and the King mid hot scene.

"Do you still love her, Fed?" I hurt for him. He clearly still did, and he had broken up with her for a stupid reason. I hoped my voice would show my feelings.

He looked at me, not wanting to answer. "Are you doing to send me home if I say yes?"

"If that's what you want, yes."

"Then, yes. I still love her. But I don't think she'll have me back now, though."

"Why not?" I stood and turned off the monitor so he could talk more freely.

"Because I broke her heart and I know she just hates me now."

"Fed, why don't you go back home and talk to her? You're still going to be her body guard, right? Let her know you made a mistake and that you still love her. I'm sure she'll come back to you." I put a comforting hand on his arm.

"You don't know her. She'll have a new boyfriend by now. Every man she encounters falls at her feet. She won't even look at me anymore."

"Fed, do you even want to try to win her back?"

"Of course I do."

"Then go home. And make her the most desired and loved woman on earth, okay?"

His shoulders slumped. "Okay. Thank you." he said, hugging me.

"No, thank _you_ for being honest with me." I held tight for a few more seconds, then let him go

"I'm gonna go prepare my things. Good-bye Rosaline." He bowed and kissed the back of my hand.

"Good-bye, Fed. And good luck."

"Thanks." And he was gone. Just like that. But I wanted him to get his happily ever after. It was for everyone, and not only for Princesses.

Well, I had the rest of my afternoon off, so I decided to finish the movie alone. It wasn't the best I had ever seen, but it was a good distraction. Long story short, the Slave did get pregnant, but had a daughter. The King was not interested in her anymore so he sent her away with her baby. She eventually died during her journey back home, leaving the only Heir to the throne motherless. Not a happy ending.

When the movie ended, it was time to go prepare for dinner.

But as I put my feet out of the cinema room, I heard the thunder. I suddenly remembered one of the boys telling he was afraid of thunderstorms, but I couldn't place who it was. Think, Rose, think! I hurriedly walked to the second floor, hoping my memory would be triggered. Westley!

I headed for his room. I knocked, but heard no answer. I knocked again, louder. I put my ear against the door and heard some noise, though I couldn't make out what it was. I gently opened the door, hoping it wouldn't scare him off. He was sitting against the side of his bed, on the floor, holding his head in his hands, his eyes closed, and his knees against his chest.

"Westley? Are you all right?"

A huge thunder clap resonated in the room, and that's when I realised his windows were opened, letting the rain come in and making the curtains dance in the wind. Where was his valet? I ran to the windows to close them, and came back to Westley. I put a hand on his shoulder, but he recoiled at the touch. I sat next to him. He looked at me with such terrified dark green eyes, my heart broke. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and he let himself be pulled against me this time. I rubbed his back in southing circles, telling him all along that it was okay, that I was there, and that it wouldn't last forever. I remember doing just that with Maggie when she was just a little girl.

Some minutes later, the storm went away, and the thunder claps were only distant noises. Westley relaxed a bit. He let go if his head and rubbed his eyes and forehead.

"I can't believe you had to see that." he said, his voice full of disappointment.

"Well, I'm glad you told us you were afraid of thunderstorms, or I would have walked by without knowing you were in distress."

He laughed humourlessly. "The 'damsel in distress', afraid of thunderstorms."

"My goodness, I shouldn't have said that. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's alright. I can't think of a better word than 'distress', anyway. But thank you for stopping by, though." I smiled and he gently put his fingers under my chin, turning my head towards him. He locked his green eyes with mine.

"Did somebody already tell you you had amazing eyes?" he said softly.

"No. And they're not amazing. They're plain brown and boring."

A corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. "They're not boring at all. They have a golden edge, reminding us of your royal lineage. And they reflect who you are: full of kindness and strength at the same time." I didn't know what to say, so he continued. "I meant to tell you that for some time, but never got the chance."

I smiled. "Thanks for noticing." I turned my gaze down. His eyes were burning me, and I was afraid to actually let myself burn.

"I'm sorry but I'm gonna do something stupid." he said, leaning closer. And before I could say anything, he kissed me ever so lightly. Again, electricity coursed through my body, and I was glad I was sitting on the floor, because my legs felt wobbly. He put his hand on the back of m neck and rubbed my skin with his thumb, kissing me a bit harder. When he backed away, ending our kiss, he let go of my neck and the spot still burned from his touch, as did my lips. I didn't know what to say of do, so I squeezed his hand and smiled.

"I'm sorry, but it's almost dinner time, and I need to get ready." He nodded and let me go. I headed to my room.

I had an hour ahead of me, so I decided to take a short bath and I asked Anna to prepare one with rose petals and scented oils. Then, I slipped in a dark blue gown with golden seams and golden heels. I felt royal in this dress. Westley had reminded me of who I was and I was going to live like it. I entered the dining room my head high, and every boy already there just stared at me, mouth opened. I wanted to remind them that I was still the Princess for which's hand they were competing. They weren't really competing, because I was the one doing the choosing. But when I would decide, they needed to remember what they would become: first Prince, then when I would ascend the throne and become Queen, he would be Prince Consort. It was not something to overlook.

After dinner, as I was heading to the Women's Room for some girl time with mom, Kate and Mags, Daxton stopped me.

"Your Highness." I turned around. "I know this is not really protocol or etiquette or whatever. I don't even now if it's proper. But... I was wondering if I could cook dinner for you."

I looked blankly at him. It was a great idea, but his bluntness was a little perplexing. "You're right, this is not proper at all." It was hard keeping a straight face. His shoulders slumped a tiny bit, but he held his ground. I waited a few more seconds before smiling widely. "Daxton, would you like to cook dinner for me one day? As in a date?"

He sighed with relief and bowed. "It would be an honour, My Lady." his grin was catchy and I chuckled. "When do you think you could do that?"

"I was thinking of tomorrow night. I need to see with the cooks if they have everything I need."

"Very well. We'll be dining together tomorrow evening then. What are you planning to cook?" I was curious.

"With all due respect, Rosaline, I'd like to keep it a surprise."

I eyed him suspiciously and playfully. "You don't plan on poisoning me, now, do you?"

"Of course not. This will be the best dinner you've ever eaten."

"Oh really? Well I can't wait to try it then. I'll see you later. Good night, Daxton."

His grin almost split his face in two. "Good night." I went to the Women's Room and he walked to the kitchens.

"Honey, you look absolutely regal in this gown!" Mom said, sparkles in her eyes.

"Thank you. I just love this dress." I turned to Kate. "Hey, why don't we see you around any more? I miss having a second girl in this group of boys."

She sent me a death stare, but hid it quickly with a smile. "Rose, I want to show you something. In my room." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to her room.

When we arrived, she closed the door and locked it. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Look. Don't ever ask me this question again in front of mom." She sighed. "I thought I could do it, that I could close my heart to _your_ boys. But I can't. I've tried, I promise. I think you need to send me to France, too."

"Kate. Talk to me. Are you in love with one of them? Already?"

She let herself fall on her bed and she mumbled something in her pillow.

"Seriously? I can't hear you like that, Katie." She rolled on the side and looked at me.

"Adam."

I smiled. As much as I loved how he was with Maggie, I still hadn't the chance to talk a lot with him. "Since when?"

She shrugged, hugging a pillow. "I don't really know. It kind of just happened. For starters, I think he's the most handsome one. Did you see his eyes? Ugh. It should be forbidden to have such beautiful eyes."

"What colour are they?"

"Gray. An icy kind of gray, but full of so much kindness, it's almost palpable. And how he is with Maggie just made my heart melt, you know? But I should go away. Far away. He's yours, not mine."

"Kate. There are twenty-three of them and I have only one heart remember? If you love Adam and he loves you, then I don't see why not."

"That's the problem. He doesn't know. And besides, it would be considered treason from both of us."

"Yeah, well I can just pardon you, you know?"

"It's not that easy. And you know that."

I sighed because I knew she was right. "Look. You're going to stay here, okay? Try getting to know him better, and I'll see what I can find out, all right?"

She nodded.

"Come, I want to show you something." I held out my hand for her to take and we went in my room. "Remember all the pictures we looked at before the guys arrived?" She nodded again. "Well, I have them all right here." I pulled the white sheet from the white board as I said that and she gasped.

"Seriously? You have them all here?"

"Yeah, well I took off those who are eliminated."

"What order did you put them in?"

"For now they're still in alphabetical order. But I think I can start putting them in a preference order. But before that, watch this." I lifted Adam's picture, revealing a picture of him taken during that first pool party.

She stared, unable to talk.

"Yep. Remember those photographers? I paid them a pretty nice amount off money to have these. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Can I have that one?" she said, pointing at Adam's pool picture.

I laughed. "Sure." I plucked it off and handed it to her, before putting them in a different order. We talked all evening about the boys. I kept going back to Adam's picture and noticed they would be perfect together. I decided to do whatever it took to help. I knew you can't force love in any way, but I would try my best.

The next day, I worked as much as I could with Father, because I knew my evening would be busy. The sun was shining again and it was hard to focus.

Daxton had make me meet him in one of the guest libraries for our dinner, and when I arrived, he was already there, in a perfect tuxedo, standing next to a small round candlelit table with a chequered white and red tablecloth. There were no plates, but only one plate-cover in the centre. I wondered what was under it.

"Good evening, Princess." He said, bowing slightly, and pulled my chair for me to sit. I realized it was my first dinner date with one of the boys. My first dinner date in my whole life, actually.

"So, what have you prepared?" I asked him. Now I was really curious, and hungry.

He lifted the metallic plate-cover and revealed our meal.

"Ooh! Pizza! I love it!"

His shoulders fell. "You've already had pizza? But the cooks told me they never make it."

"No, they don't."

"But then, how-?"

I smiled and giggled. "We are very good friends with the Italian Royal Family. We've been for several generations, now. And every time we go there – like every two or three years – they make us eat pizza at least once. But don't worry. Last time I ate that was two years ago."

"All right. Well, this pizza is the restaurant's specialty. We make like twenty a day of these. And do you know how we called it?" his grin told me it would be something funny.

"No?"

"The Royal Pizza."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because," he started, "do you see how the pizza is divided in six equal parts? And each part has a different topping. Well, this part here with the Parma ham is the King, because it's the fanciest ham you can find here in Illéa. And your Father is the fanciest man."

I chuckled. "Are you serious? What are the olives for?"

"The Queen, because she has olive skin."

"Obviously." This was hilarious. "And so the four remaining parts are us, the Princesses?"

"Yep. The next one is you. Can you guess why?"

I stared at the green pepper. "I have no idea." I looked at him for an answer.

"Because you're the one always bringing colour to the rest of your family – the clothes."

"Oh. And then the tomato slices are for Kate-Lyn. Why?"

He burst out laughing. "Because she can't tan properly. She always gets sunburns."

I laughed with him, because it was one hundred percent true. "Okay, and then Rachel is the anchovies. I can't seem to guess why."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, it's because she's a little salty, and sometime a little fishy."

I tried to contain my laugh. But it was impossible. Rachel was salty and fishy to those who didn't know her. This pizza portrayed her perfectly.

"And Maggie is the pineapple because she's the sweetest, right?"

"Yep. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I have to admit, it is pretty cool. I had no idea someone had come up with this. But this is really funny." He cut the pizza in twelve parts – two parts for each topping – and we started eating.

"Oh my goodness, Daxton! This is so good! Did you really make _all_ of it?"

"M-hm." He swallowed. "From the crust, to the tomato sauce, and all the rest!"

"Wow. I can truly say it is better than the ones I ate in Italy."

"Thank you. It goes straight to my heart."

"When did you start cooking?"

"I always helped my mom with the cooking. I liked it. But I have three brothers, and feeding us plus my father was not an easy task. So since I was thirteen, I helped out in a restaurant after school and on week-ends – mainly cleaning up after the other cooks. My brothers all worked in some different places, too. And when school ended, I asked the Chef if I could train in his restaurant to become a cook. He was a good friend of my parents and he accepted." He took a bite of his pizza. "So, for four years I trained under his tutelage and we became close friends. When I was done with my training, he promoted me sous-Chef, and lets me handle pretty much everything in the kitchens."

"Wow, he must really trust you, then."

"Yeah. Between you and me, he's going to retire in a couple years. So maybe he's planning on passing on his restaurant to me."

"He doesn't have any children?"

He shook his head and started a new slice. "Not that I know of. He's not married or anything. I'm kind of the son he never had."

"That's great. And what else beside pizza do you do?"

"Italian food. So it's mainly pizza and pasta, and some Mediterranean salads, too. The Royal pizza is my favourite pizza."

"And your favourite Pasta?" I could talk about food all night long if we needed to.

"The Truffle Lasagna."

"What's that?"

He stopped chewing and stared at me. "You don't know what Lasagna is?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Ugh. Had I known that, I would have made you Truffle Lasagna. It's a layered pasta dish with meat and sometimes vegetable, and béchamel and tomato sauce. But we add Truffle oil and it's what makes it so special. A lot of people come to our place just to try that."

"Sounds like heaven!"

"It is." He nodded vigorously. And just like that, we ate the whole pizza in less than fifteen minutes. It was truly the best I had ever eaten. Maybe because it was so hilarious to eat the Royal Family.

"You know," he said after a moment. "I have to admit I was a tiny bit afraid you'd be offended with the 'Royal Pizza'."

"Why on earth would I be offended by a pizza, Daxton?" I had no clue where that idea came from.

"Well, you were quite a bit offended when Axl, you know, said you were, um..."

"What, short? Daxton, There's a great difference, there. This pizza idea is hilarious. As for Axl, I didn't even know him! Why would he say something like that to a Princess, out of the blue?" I paused, then thought of something I had read somewhere. "Besides, I'm not short: God only lets things grow until they're perfect, some of us didn't take as long as others." We both chuckled.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **pfew! another peak of inspiration (looong chapter, here^^). How did you like Rose's interactions/dates with the boys, here?**

 **To the creator of Fed: I hope he was in-character the whole time, and that you won't hate me for eliminating him ;-) He was fun to work with!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Youhou! as always, thank you for your reviews, I love reading what you liked most and what you would like to see next, and what was a total surprise^^ I'm so glod you all are so into this story, I'm so excited =)  
**

 _ **Chapter 17**_

A few minutes before lunch, Everest arrived, just as planned. The _Report_ was that night, and he needed to get used to the boys. Everest walked with me to the boy's table, where they were already all there.

"Gentlemen, please welcome Everest Layden. He'll be eating with you and spending the afternoon with you, too. He wants to get to know you a little better before the interviews tonight." There was an empty seat with his name-card between Michael and Andreas and he sat there.

I went to my seat, next to Kate.

"You got anything new?" she whispered.

"About what?"

"Adam." she whispered again even more softly.

"No, not yet. You told me that two days ago. I'm not a magician. Give me some time."

"Okay, okay." We resumed eating.

I glanced at the boys a few times during dinner, and caught Nigel gazing my way, too, more than once. There was a lot of things I wanted to ask him about. His tattoos, his lightning bolt undercut at the back of his neck in his chocolate brown hair – I wondered if it meant something in particular of if it was just something he liked – and why he always seemed so jaded.

When lunch was over, I went back to my room to get changed for my afternoon date. But Anna came in with the phone.

"His Majesty Prince Philippe for you, My Lady."

"Thank you, Anna." I took the phone. "Hello?"

"Rosie? How I'm glad to hear your voice!"

"Phil! I'm very glad, too! How are you doing? And how's Rachel?"

"She's fine. She forgave Fréd for the Oysters and Snails, and now they're friends again. But I just don't understand them: they fight all day long, but they can't seem to be away from each other for more than a few hours."

"U-ho." I said with a small smile.

"What?"

"I think they might like each other pretty much, now, don't they? I wouldn't be surprised to see them end up together."

Phil mumbled something.

"What did you say?"

"I said, at least _they_ can."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Rosie, I just want you to know that if you don't find your soul-mate in that bunch of boys, you have one in France..."

"What are you talking about, Phil?"

"It's just that it's been pretty hard watching you date those boys from my TV. And I realized my love for you went a lot deeper than just sibling love, like we call it."

"Phil, please don't-"

"No, listen to me. Please." He paused. "I love you, okay? I want you to be my wife."

"Phil, are you seriously proposing on the phone? You're not serious." I fell on my bed. I couldn't believe what was happening.

He sighed. "I've never been more serious, Rose. I love you."

"Phil, you know it's impossible for us to marry, even if we wanted to. We're both Heir to our throne. It would be considered treason if I abandoned my country to come to France."

"I would abdicate without a second thought, give my crown to Fréd and jump on a plane to Illéa and propose properly, on one knee." His voice was small and pleading, but very serious at the same time.

"Phil, don't do that. Please. Besides, Fréd is too much of a party goer; he wouldn't be a good King. No, you're the best King that can happen to France."

"Are you already in love with one of the Selected?" suspicion filled this voice.

"Not yet, but-"

"Then let me come before that happens."

"Can I finish my sentence? Not yet, but I can easily tell you that I'm pretty sure my soul-mate is amongst them."

"How can you be so sure, Rose? You have been with them for what, two, three weeks? You don't know them! We've known each other all our lives! We'd be a perfect us."

I sighed, hating myself for what I was about to say. "No, Phil. We wouldn't. We know too much of each other. You're a brother to me. You always were, and always will be." This was worse than the friendzone. It was the familyzone. Ugh.

He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"You still there, Phil?"

"Yeah. I guess I can't do anything more to convince you but wait until the end of your Selection when you'll find out that I am your one and only soul-mate. Good-bye Rose."

"Phil, wait, I-" But he had already hung up. What on earth just happen? I let myself fall on the bed, my head sinking in my pillow. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. Did he have to do that now? I was struggling enough as it was with those boys; I didn't need another one halfway across the world who was trying to pull at me. What he wanted was simply impossible. And I certainly didn't love him the way he did.

Anna came back with a light tea-length dark pink dress and black heels, paired with a black pearl necklace and earrings. I inhaled deeply, clearing my mind for my next date. But Philippe's words kept ringing in my mind. How on earth was I going to forget about that this afternoon? And that was without even talking about the _Report_ tonight. It was amazing how, even so far away, one could make everything complicated for others miles away. Thank you very much, Phil.

I walked down the stairs to the second floor, lost in my thoughts and problems when I literally bumped into Evan as I turned around a corner.

"Rosaline!" he said, catching me so that I wouldn't fall. But he didn't let go of me once I was on my two feet again. Instead, he leaned in closer, and kissed me, like it was something absolutely normal.

"Evan," I said backing away a little. "What are you doing?!"

He frowned. "Um, I don't know, I thought after that other night in the pool, that, um... we, um..."

Ugh, how do I explain this without sounding like a terrible person? "Evan, I don't know what happened that night. It was a great first – and second – kiss, but you can't just jump on me like that in the middle of the hall."

He frowned. "Then why did you tell me to come in the pool in the first place if it wasn't to have your first kiss with me? I don't understand."

I sighed. "I invited you to come in to cool down, since it was so hot outside. I didn't expect you to kiss me." I whispered, because I didn't want others to know yet.

"Then why didn't you push me away?"

"I don't know, okay? I guess I just wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed." I shook my head. "Look, I'm sorry if I sound like a spoiled brat... I'm just a little overwhelmed by having twenty-two boyfriends at the same time. You would be, too. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with one of my other boyfriends." I stormed past him and hid in a small nook in the hall, waiting for him to walk away where he was heading in the first place. I eventually heard the noise of his footsteps diminish and I breathed easier.

I searched for Kenan's door, and knocked.

He opened himself. "Your Highness! What brings you here?" I stopped telling them not to call me 'Your Highness', it was exhausting.

"Kenan, would you like to go for a stroll in the gardens with me?"

"Is this a date?" he asked with a gigantic grin.

I smiled slyly. "Might be."

"All right, I'll be right there, just give a minute to take my jacket..."

"Oh, no. Don't take it; it's much too warm outside for a suit jacket. Just come as you are."

"As you wish, Princess." He gave me his arm, which I gratefully took, and we walked to the garden door, passing a group of boys who were coming out of the Men's Parlour. They all bowed as we passed. Kenan beamed next to me, and straightened to give himself some kind of importance.

As we walked outside, a gush of warm air hit us in the face.

"Your Highness, I just wanted to tell you that I find it incredible what you did with those strikers. I couldn't have done it better."

"Thank you. I was pretty scared, talking to this many people."

"Why? You always talk in front of cameras?"

"I speak in front of one camera, and then I'm retransmitted to thousands of people. That day, I talked to thousands of people."

"Mmh, yeah, I see what you mean. Well, you didn't seem scared at all!"

"Thank goodness. So tell me, Kenan, what is it you do, again?"

"I'm a taxi driver."

"Right. Do you like it? Driving, I mean."

"Absolutely! It's so funny to see all the different people who come in my taxi. I wish I could take a picture of each one and put it in a book, you know? A lot of them tell me their life stories, and I don't want to forget them. Some of those stories are sad, others are funny. One time, a guy told me about how he met his wife and it was so hilarious that I was laughing really hard, I almost had an accident!"

"Oh my! I'm glad you didn't. How did you come to being a taxi driver?" I let go of his arm, because when he talked he used his hands a lot. No wonder he almost had an accident!

"Well, my mother died when I was just a baby. She died in childbirth, actually."

"I'm so sorry, Kenan."

"Oh, don't worry! I never knew her, so I can't really say I miss her. I'm an only child and my father never remarried. He raised me alone. He owns a taxi service with his brother – my uncle – and it was the most natural thing to just follow in his footsteps and be a taxi driver as well. Do you know the first time I ever drove a car?"

"No. When?" Man, he could talk…

"I was twelve years old! Dad took me in an abandoned field and he got out of the car, opened my door and said 'Now, son, it's time you learned how to drive. Go sit behind the wheel.' I just stared at him with wide eyes and laughed. And then he said 'You think this is funny? You are going to inherit our taxi service, so you better know how to drive.' It made me stop laughing and I obeyed. I sat behind the wheel, but, of course, my legs were too short. Anyway, it was pretty funny, looking back, now. But I can assure you I was scared to death of dad. He never was this strict with me. After that awful first time, he never asked me again to drive until I was seventeen. And I've been driving ever since."

Breathe, Kenan, breathe! How can a guy talk this much? I thought only girls could talk that much. I shook my head and laughed.

"What?"

"You just talk so much! Do you even breathe?"

"Of course I do!"

"Oh, I have an idea…" I took his hand and changed directions, heading to the front of the Palace. "Would you like to see our cars?"

"YES! Oh my god, yes! I've never been in a Limo!"

"Okay, come on." We followed the gravel path all the way to the big Garage. Three Limos were parked alongside each other.

"Wow! Can I go in one of them, just to see?"

I chuckled. "Sure. Let me just get Simon."

"Who's Simon?"

"One of our chauffeurs." I leaned in closer to him, and I whispered: "He kind of worships the ground I walk on, so he'll do whatever I say." I winked playfully at Kenan.

He smothered a laugh and nodded. I went to the small Shed where there was always one chauffeur in case we needed the cars, and I asked him the key to one of the Limo. He didn't question me and gave me the key. "Thank you!" I blew him a kiss and Simon blushed. Poor guy.

I handed the key to Kenan and he opened the Limo. He sat behind the wheel and pretended to drive it. He was so adorable. It was like a small kid discovering a Christmas present and worshiping it. Then he opened the back door. "My Lady." He invited me inside and I climbed in. He climbed in behind me, awed bye the fancy interior.

"What's that small blue car, over there?" he pointed to the other side of the Garage.

"That's my mother's car."

"The Queen drives?" he said with wide eyes.

"She used to. But now she has a chauffeur. But she still uses this car when she visits her sick mother on the other side of town. It's much less noticeable than a shiny black Limo."

"Huh. That's for sure."

I checked the time, but with Phil's phone, bumping into Evan, and listening to Kenan rambling about taxis and cars and Limos, it was already 4 o'clock.

"Kenan, I'm sorry but I need to get ready for the _Report_ that starts in an hour."

"Of course. Thanks for listening to me. I know I talk too much." He made an apologetic face.

"Don't worry about that, it was very interesting! Feel free to explore the Limos a bit longer." I came closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. I would have thought he'd hold on to me a bit more, trying to kiss me and all, but he didn't. I was half happy about it. Maybe his heart was to someone else? I would have to find out.

I left him alone in the car and headed to the Palace. But before going up to my room, I looked for Everest. He was in the Men's Parlour, playing table tennis with some of the boys. I knocked on the door frame and they all looked up at the same time.

"Good afternoon, Gentlemen. Please don't mind me, I just want to talk with Everest."

Everest put his table tennis racket down and came out in the hall. I invited him to sit on a bench nearby.

"How is it going with the boys? I see they haven't eaten you yet." I giggled

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. No seriously, it's been a great afternoon! I don't know why I was so scared last week. They're just normal people, right?" he winked.

"They are. I'm glad you recovered, then. Um, what are you planning on doing for the _Report_ tonight?"

"Besides your announcement at the end, it's going to be pretty freestyle." I frowned. "But don't worry! I'll have everything under control."

"Good." I stood. "I'll se later, then!" I smiled slyly and headed to my room. Ugh. Forty-five minutes left. There was no time for a bath, so I took a shower. Anna was waiting for me with my bathrobe and I sat in front of the vanity table while she dried my hair and fixed them in an intricate braided bun. I chose a purple gown with silver heels and silver accessories – jewels and tiara – and ten minutes before the _Report_ , I was finally ready.

I ran down the stairs, and sprang my ankle on the last two steps to the second floor as Nigel was coming out of his room. I let out a cry, and held my ankle. Nigel ran to me, but instead of helping me stand, he made me sit on the steps.

"Let me see your ankle."

I gritted my teeth and slightly pulled the skirt up, so he could see.

"Ouch," he said, apologetically. "Your ankle is swollen. Let me take you to the infirmary."

"No, Nigel, we don't have time."

He looked at me, debating to obey or follow his own mind. "Fine, then let me carry you to the studio."

I rolled my eyes. Now that would be an entrance. "Okay, but put me down before we go in."

"Not a chance, Your Highness."

As we entered the studio, everyone stared at us. I felt my cheeks redden, but forced the heat away. He put me down just in front of my chair. He took my hand, kissed the back of it and locked eyes with me, slightly smiling, before turning around and sitting in the last chair available among the boys.

"What was that about?" Father asked me, his hands on his hips.

"I just sprang my ankle a couple minutes ago and there was no time to go to the infirmary, so Sir Nigel insisted on carrying me here."

Father lifted an eyebrow. "Hu-huh. All right."

"Two minutes, everyone!"

I looked at Nigel, but he was already looking at me. I smiled and mouthed the words 'thank you'. He smiled and nodded in return. We gazed at each other throughout the Anthem and Everest starting the _Report_. When I heard my name, I broke the gaze and focused on Everest. He gave me his arm and helped me to the plush couch – thank goodness, or I wouldn't have made it alone with my sore foot.

"Princess Rosaline. I have a few questions for you."

"Go ahead, Everest. I'm ready." I smiled my mastered smile, despite my raging foot under my full skirt.

"Have you dated any of the Selected this week?"

"Oh yes, quite a few."

He lifted his eyebrows. "You've been busy. And any group dates?"

"Only one, this time. I tried to focus on getting to know the boys alone."

"And you went all the way to Kent."

"Yes, that, too. So yes, it was a very busy week."

"Have you kissed any one of them yet?" he wiggled his eyebrows, looking at me then at the camera. I think I blushed a little.

"I might have, yes." A camera was filming the boy's reactions, and they were all looking at each other, trying to guess who I had kissed. I don't know why, but I caught Nigel's hurt reaction. Damn! I totally forgot he wanted to give me my first kiss. I can't believe I forgot about that in the pool! Ugh.

"Well, Princess, I might have to interview the young men, since you don't seem to want to say more." He winked and I giggled. He helped me back to my seat, and then headed to the boys. He didn't make them come to the couch, but just talked casually to them from their seats. When he asked who had kissed me, Westley and Evan lifted their hands. I was afraid they would give details, but they didn't. I felt the atmosphere hanging over the boys change. I was afraid of the repercussions this revelation might bring. Oh well, too late to go back, now.

He asked them who had a date with me, and Kenan and Daxton talked about their dates. I was happy Everest didn't ask about the eliminations, because I didn't want to talk about them.

After some time interviewing the boys, Everest talked to the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight, Princess Rosaline has a special announcement to make." I stood and tried to walk to the Centre stage. It was agony, but I managed without wincing too much.

"Good evening Illéa. After my talk with the Strikers in Kent, I've decided to take some time to visit different places to meet you. During the Selection, I'll be doing one visit a week in one of the Provinces, taking one, two or maybe three Selected young men with me. I'm really looking forward to meet you and to see something else than these Palace walls." I chuckled. "You will be following me on those visits; they will be retransmitted to you before the next _Report_."

"Princess Rosaline, this is a great idea! I can't wait to see how those visits turn out!"

"Thank you, Everest." I walked back to my seat, in agony again, and Everest closed the _Report._

I sighed, and winced. My foot was really killing me, now.

Nigel walked up to me. The smile was no longer on his lips. A jaded expression replaced it. But, always the Gentleman, he extended his hand.

"Can I bring you to the Infirmary, now, Your Highness?"

I smiled sadly – I missed his childish smile, and how his eyes squinted when he smiled. "Yes, please."

He scooped me up in his arms and walked without talking to the Infirmary.

I mentally kicked myself again and again for not letting him kiss me on the plane to Kent.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **U-Ho... what's gonna happen next? who do you think she is going to bring with her to the first visit? What would you like to know else that I haven't mentionned? ;-) keep the reviews coming up!**

 **love ya!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hiii! thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter! the longer, the better ;-) One of you asked me how many chapters I planned... well, I still have no idea. I have more or less the rest of the story figured out, but more than that... i don't know^^  
**

 ** _Chapter 18_**

After dinner on Friday night, I went directly up to my room because I wanted to see no one. I was scared of the aftermath of the kiss revelation. There were still so many boys I needed to have a date with: I wanted to give them all the same chance in this Selection. I didn't sleep very well, though, because my foot was still hurting, even with the splint and ice the doctor gave me. And every time I would think about my foot, I saw Nigel's hurt eyes when he heard about my first kiss that hadn't been his. And when I thought of that, I thought of Philippe's phone call and my thoughts would swirl in an unstoppable tornado. My mind was in a real pandemonium.

When I woke up at Anna's voice, I felt like I had been rolled over by a truck. I slept in phases, always waking up to see the boy's angry eyes looming around me. And every time I would wake up, I was sweating. I have no idea why this happened. I made myself as small as I could during breakfast, avoiding looking over at the men's table. Then, as soon as the meal was over, I slipped out of the room and went to burry myself in some boring reports. But anything was better than to face the boys, at this point.

At lunch, I debated if I wanted to have my meal alone in my room, but when I mentioned it to Father, he refused, saying that if I wanted to do that, it would at least be on a date with one of the boys. Nope. I'd rather go to the dining room and ignore them than be alone with one of them. So I went.

When I came out of the dining room, after lunch, Matt was waiting outside. He stopped me. I couldn't just pass next to him and ignore him, so I smiled at him.

"Matt, how are you doing?"

"Very well, Your Highness." Ugh! When would they stop calling me that?

"Good. Was there anything you wanted from me?"

"Um, yes. Just five minutes, if you can spare them for me." His jade green eyes were full of something I couldn't really place. Amusement? Excitement?

"Sure, I have five minutes for you." I said with an amused smile.

"Great! Do you remember that thing I had in my room that you wanted to see but I told you it wasn't finished yet?"

"Yes, I do. Did you finish it?"

"Yes. So if you would do me the honour of following me to my room, Princess." He said giving me his arm. I took it and he led me to his room. He opened the door and in the middle of it was that same object, but still covered with a white sheet.

"Are you ready?" he asked, sparkles in his eyes.

"I am." Excitement filled my voice. I was curious at what it might be, although I had a slight idea of what it was.

He pulled the sheet away and revealed a beautiful 50's blue and white Gingham dress. The top was slightly off the shoulders, and fitted at the waist with a plain blue belt, the skirt was full – there must have been a pretty big petticoat underneath it – and it was knee length. My mouth dropped open.

"You did this in just over a week? It's beautiful!"

"Yes. Gingham is one of my favourite fabrics to use. I'm glad you like it. I was hoping to find an occasion where you could wear it, and when you talked about those visits, I thought you could wear it to your first one, to the Hospital."

"Wait. You made this for me?"

"Of course. Why would I have made it, then?" he said with a sly smile.

I was totally amazed. "Matt, I don't know what to say. None of the boys ever gave me anything." I paused. "But how do you know it will fit me?"

"Oh, um, I asked the seamstresses for a tailor dummy with your measurements. And as for the design, I had your magazines to help me a bit. I knew you were a vintage lover, so..." He shrugged.

"It's absolutely perfect, Matt. I love it."

"Would you like to try it on, so I can make some last adjustments?"

"Now?" Like right here?

"If you have the time, that is."

"Oh, um. Sure. I didn't really have a plan for this afternoon, anyway."

"Good! You can change in the bathroom. I'll wait for you here." He expertly pulled off the dress from the dummy and handed it to me. I stared at the thirty small round buttons on the back of the dress.

"Oh, don't worry about those," he reassured me. "They're just for decoration. There's a zipper on the side."

I sighed, relieved. "Thank you." I locked myself in his bathroom – that was pretty awkward, to be honest – and put the dress on. It was a perfect fit! I unlocked the door and went back to him.

"What do you think?" I asked, spreading my arms and spinning around so he could see better.

"I think it's perfect. I don't need to change anything. This dummy is a perfect replica of you, it's amazing."

I laughed. "It is! We are measured every six months to be sure the dummies are still perfect." I spun again, gazing at the skirt dancing around me. "Matt, this is the best gift I ever received. Thank you so much." I came closer to him and put a hand on his cheek. His gift was so amazing; I had to give him something in return. I kissed him gently. I felt his smile on his lips and he broke the kiss a few seconds later.

"I seriously wasn't making a dress for you to have a kiss." He smiled slyly. "But thank you, Your Highness." He took my hand, bowed low and kissed the back of it. I felt a little foolish to have kissed him like that. I would need to be more careful in the future, and not just give my kisses away that easily. I went back to the bathroom to retrieve my other dress.

"Matt, thank you again so much. And I will definitely wear it on that visit."

"Oh, and I thought it would be perfect with Queen Eadlyn's heart gloves." He said with a shy smile.

I smiled, too. "You thought of everything. They will be perfect with this dress. Thank you."

I turned away and walked through the door. I just glanced over my shoulder one more time at him and he was beaming in the middle of his room, looking at me with a wide grin.

I went to my room and locked the door. I gazed at myself in the mirror, admiring this blue and white masterpiece. I just loved it. And I knew exactly what pair of heels I was going to wear with that dress. I didn't want to ruin it before the visit so a carefully slipped out of it and put it on a hanger. Once on the hanger, I examined it carefully. Every little button was covered with the same fabric as the dress. He truly had expert fingers.

After gazing at that dress for some time, I walked to my white board where the pictures of the boys were. I needed two boys to come with me at the Hospital for the first visit. One of them I was sure about, but I still needed to find the second one. I decided to take with me one that I still hadn't had a date or a conversation of any sort with, so I could get to know him a little better. Alright, I knew who it would be. I headed for Adam's room and knocked.

His valet opened the door, but told me Adam was not here.

"Do you know where he is?"

"I'm not sure. He's either in the Men's Parlour or in the Gardens. I'm afraid I can't help you more than that, My Lady."

"Okay, thank you nonetheless."

I carefully walked down the stairs. My foot was still a bit sore, and I didn't want to spring my ankle again. I knocked on the Men's Parlour door and Kurt opened it for me."

"Hello, Kurt, how are you?"

"Very well, Your Highness." he mumbled, blushing. I barely understood him. I never noticed he was this shy, before.

"Is Adam, here?"

"No, Your Highness. He's outside."

"Oh. Thank you!" and I turned away, heading for the Gardens. When I opened the doors, the sun blinded me for a few seconds. A small group of boys were kicking a soccer ball, barefoot and their shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, as well as their pants also rolled up mid-calves. Poor guys. They had to wear suits every single day, here.

I searched for Adam among those soccer players, but he wasn't there. That's when I heard Kate-Lyn's laugh to my left. I followed the noise and found Kate and Adam sitting and talking on a stone bench. I smiled and smothered a laugh.

"Ah, there you are!" I said, sounding cross. Technically, they weren't supposed to flirt or anything. But before I was certain of where Adam's heart stood, I was going to play the mean older sister. As soon as they heard me, they both stood quickly and blushed.

"It- it's not what you think it is." stammered Adam. Gosh, how was I supposed to keep a straight face? All I wanted to do was laugh and give them my blessing! But it was too soon.

"Adam, I need to talk to you." He turned a little bit white, glancing discreetly at Kate. Hm. This was interesting. I looked at Kate. "Can you give us a minute, please?" Her eyes widened and she scurried away.

I invited Adam to sit on the stone bench and I did likewise.

"Are you sending me home?"

"What? No! Why would I do that, Adam?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You seemed pretty cross, here, when you saw me talking to your sister."

"Oh. Well, I didn't come for that. Look. I've seen you interact with Maggie over the past weeks and I know you're pretty comfortable with children. And Maggie loves you like a brother." I chuckled. I wish I could have said 'Kate loves you, too', but this wasn't the moment. "I bet every kid you come to know likes you. So, I was hoping that you would come with me to the Children's Hospital visit, this week. Please."

"Really? That would be an honor to come with you."

"Great! And would you mind if Andreas came along, too? Or do you guys can't stand each other?"

"Oh, no! Not at all! He's fun to be around, you'll see."

"Good. Then I'll go ask him now. Do you know where he is?"

"Um, playing soccer, I think."

"Thanks." I stood and started to walk away.

"Oh, um, Rosaline?" Finally one that calls me by my name!

"Yes?" I turned around.

"What day is the visit?"

"Tuesday."

He nodded and I headed to the soccer players. I found Andreas in the midst of the group. Phil and Fréd taught me how to play a few years ago. I kicked my heels off and walked in the middle of the group, showing them what I could do. They were so bewildered to see me running after that ball in my summer day dress, that they all froze to stare at me, even the goal keeper. It was too easy to score. I turned around, my hands on my hips.

"What? You never saw a girl play soccer before?"

Andreas burst out laughing. "A girl, yes. But not a Princess in a gown. I have to admit, it was pretty off-putting."

I laughed. "Well, you should know, that even though I didn't have a brother, a good friend of mine taught me some boy things. So don't be too surprised if you see me kicking a ball, swinging a bat or playing table tennis." They all looked at me with wide eyes. "Anyway," I said, putting my heels back on, holding on Justin for balance. "I just wanted to speak with Andreas. Can I borrow him for a few minutes?"

He followed me to a wooden bench under a tree.

"Andreas, I know I haven't had the time yet to get to know you or anything, so I was wondering if you would like to come with me and Adam to the Children's Hospital visit on Tuesday. You don't have to say yes, I don't know if you're comfortable with kids..."

"You're asking _me_ to go with you on the first visit?" I nodded with an encouraging smile. "Of course! I'd love to come. Thank you."

"I'm glad you're excited to come along. Do you have any experience with children or hospitals?"

"Not really... but I'm a quick learner."

"Okay. We'll be leaving on Tuesday morning, around ten o'clock."

"Sounds good to me." His grin was so cute with his dimples in his cheeks.

I stood. "All right. I'll see you later, then." I walked away and headed to the inside of the Palace, where the air was cooler.

Alisdair was on a chair in the hall, his head against the wall and his eyes closed.

"Al, is everything all right?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "No." he grumbled.

"What's wrong?" I sat on the chair next to his."

"The heat. I can't stand the heat. I can't sleep because of the heat, and I can't eat because of the heat."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Al. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Just send me home, will you?"

"Why? We've had some great time together..." I was honestly sad he was asking me to dismiss him.

"I know we have. Is the weather like this all year long?"

"Practically from March to November."

"All right. Look, I don't think I can stand this weather all year long and all of my life. And even though I've grown very fond of you Rosaline – there, I said it – I just can't stay in the heat. I'll be better off in Hansport."

"It is much more to the north than here, I have to admit that." I felt my shoulders slump a little. Who was going to make me laugh and dance like he had?

"If you really want to go home, Al, you can go. I won't hold you back here against your will."

"Thank you, Rose. I appreciate it. I'll be waiting for the first Ceilidh to come out, though." His eyes were teasing, but full of love, too.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten that. It's number one on my to-do list when I become Queen, don't worry about that. I just can't tell you when that will be."

"It's all right, I'll be patient. And I'll send you a letter every year, reminding you about your promise." He chuckled.

"Please do! And don't forget to tell me, too, how you are, okay?"

"I will."

I hugged him, right there in the hall. "Good-bye, Al. I'll never forget the dance lesson you gave me, and the laughing fit that went with it."

"Neither will I. Good-bye Rose."

And then he walked away to his room to prepare his bags and go home. Alisdaire was gone. My heart broke a little.

I wanted to be fully prepared for that visit. So, on Sunday et Monday afternoon, I read report over report, and magazine and newspaper articles just to get to know this hospital better, like what kind of sickness and disease were treated there, and what background the children came from. I was really excited for this first visit, but pretty nervous, too.

On Tuesday morning, around ten o'clock, Adam, Andreas and I stepped into the Limo that would drive us there. General Finlee was with us, too, and the full _Report_ TV crew was already there, waiting for our arrival. And suddenly, I wasn't so sure anymore about being filmed. Too late now, we would have to deal with it, because everyone was waiting to see this.

I talked to Adam and Andreas about every pertinent thing I had read about the Hospital, so no one would say or do something wrong. And Adam was right. Andreas was very fun to be around. By the time we arrived, I wasn't nervous anymore, and even eager to get started.

The director of the Hospital was waiting for us outside the building. He bowed low before me, and shook the Boys' hands, inviting us to come in.

"Every child knows you are coming, Your Majesty. They are eager to see you."

"Thank you very much. We are very eager, too, to meet them." I smiled and we followed him inside. He led us to the Surgery Wing. A room with two rows of beds full with grinning children welcomed us. Some had a broken arm, others had a broken leg, and some other, I couldn't say what the problem was. I walked to the first little girl. She was so pretty with her black straight hair and green eyes. Her smile was so catchy, I laughed as I sat on her bed.

"Hello, what's your name?"

"Alyssa, Your Majesty."

"What a pretty name, Alyssa! Call me Rosaline, okay?"

She nodded eagerly.

"So, tell me Alyssa. I can't see any broken arms or legs..."

"I had my appendix ruptured."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. It's over now!" she smiled widely. "Can I touch your tiara?" she asked in a soft voice full of awe.

I giggled. "Of course! Here, you can even try it on." I placed it on her head and the camera followed the whole conversation. She was so sweet! I asked the photographer for a picture of the two of us. I looked for the boys, and they were each talking with a different child. Good. When we had said 'hello' to all of them in the room, the director made us go to the Cancer Wing. I wasn't ready for what laid before my eyes.

Every child was in a private glass room, completely shaved, and waiting for me. Adam must have seen my confidence falter a little, because he put his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. They're having chemo. The medicine makes them loose their hair. And they're not contagious." He whispered in my ear.

"No, they're not contagious, Your Majesty, but for their safety, I'm going to ask you three to wear a mask and to disinfect your hands." He handed us the masks and the disinfectant and then we entered. I was so glad Adam and Andreas made most of the conversation with the little boy – Thomas – because I was really out of words to see his misery. I read that cancer is not always cured. But I couldn't ask him if he had a chance of recovering. He was just glad to see us. And I was glad, too, that the TV crew couldn't come in, so they filmed us from behind the glass wall.

Then we went to the play room to spend some time with the younger children who were in the Hospital. Now, that was easier. I was sitting on a chair, playing with a stuffed elephant with a little three-year-old blond girl.

"I like your dress." She said out of the blue, in the middle of my elephant and her lion's conversation.

"Thank you. A good friend of mine made it for me, especially for today."

She grinned, touching the soft fabric. Then, she stood and came back with a book. "Can you read this to us?"

"Sure." I took the book and read the cover: Cinderella. I laughed, and sat on the floor, the little girl climbing on my lap. Adam and Andreas also sat on the floor, and everyone was quiet, waiting for me to start reading.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived with her father and her stepmother and two stepsisters…" Anyway, long story short, her father dies and her evil stepfamily turns her into a servant. The prince needs to marry and invites every young girl to the palace for a Ball. Cinderella can't go, but her fairy god mother gives her a magical outfit that will disappear at midnight. She goes to the Ball, blah, blah, blah, meets the prince and dances with him, midnight rings and she flees back home, loosing a shoe in the process. The Prince wants to find her so he tries on the shoe to every single girl in his kingdom, eventually finding Cinderella. "And they lived happily ever after. The end." I wish it was that easy.

The day flew by, and it was time to go back home. The TV crew needed to edit everything for Thursday evening, before the next _Report_.

We were all silent during the drive back to the Palace. The visit had drained us and the boys slept the whole way. I couldn't. Too many things collided in my mind for me to find rest.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **To scottishfiddlefromengland: I'm really sorry to send Alisdair home, Rose really liked him and I really liked him, too, but the Angeles heat was unbearable for him. i hope you understand :-) please don't hate me^^**

 **And I just wanted to know if the pace the story is going is good or not (too slow? too fast?). Are there too many eliminations or wouldn't you be too disapointed to see a mass elimination soon? like going to the ELITE? i still want Rose to meet all the guys at least once (planned/surprise date or Province visit), but after that, would you like to see the ELITE coming up? thanks for the feedback on that =)**


	20. Chapter 20

**aaaaah I waited so long to write this chapter and give it to you. =) hope you'll love it like I do =)** **  
**

 ** _Chapter 19_**

I felt that I owed Nigel an explanation or an apology. So, after lunch, I knocked on his door, hoping we would still want to see me.

He opened. "Your Highness." he said in an even tone. Great.

"Nigel" I said with a kind smile. "I- I-" I sighed. "I feel like an idiot." He just stared at me. "Can I come in? This is already awkward as it is, and talking to you from the hall is not helping at all."

He stepped aside, letting me in, but still didn't say anything.

I sat on the edge of his bed. "Look, this is going to sound stupid, but can you forgive me?"

"What for?"

"For not letting you kiss me on the plane to Kent."

"Rosaline, you weren't ready and you had something big to focus on. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you know what? I really appreciate the fact that you even asked. Evan and Westley just took what they wanted. I let them do it, but I wish I had given you my first kiss." I blushed hard right there and avoided his beautiful cognac eyes by looking at my hands in my lap.

He came closer and sat next to me but didn't say anything.

"Can I make it up to you, Nigel? Like a date or something? But a real one this time, not a business trip." I chuckled at the absurdity of 'business trip'.

"I'd like that." He took my hand and gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

"What is your favourite Friday night activity? But on a Wednesday?"

He chuckled. "Honestly?" I nodded. "Watching a movie – any kind – curled up on a couch with a big mug of tea."

I smiled. "Sounds great. I wasn't planning on doing anything else, actually. I need some relaxing time. Is tonight okay for you?" He smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll come and get you after dinner."

"On one condition, though." he said mischievously.

"What?"

"I get to wear something cosy. Suits are nice, but not all day long."

"Sure. I'll also wear something cosy. See you tonight, then." And I kissed him on the cheek. I left and hoped this would mend our fragile friendship.

After dinner, I rushed to my room to change in my harem pants, a black t-shirt and a brown hoodie, slipping on some comfortable sneakers. But before going to Nigel's room, I went to the kitchens to take the electric kettle, the tea box and the two biggest mugs I could find. With all that in my arms, I made my way up to the second floor.

His door was ajar and I peeked inside. "Are you ready?"

He jumped on his feet. "Yep." Wow, he was really cute in sweatpants and t-shirt. He grabbed a hoodie from his chair and followed me down to the Home Cinema Room – which used to be a Safe room, where the Royal Family hid during Rebel attacks, years ago; it had been converted as a cinema when Father was still a little boy.

"You need help with all that?" he motioned at my occupied arms.

"No, it's alright. But you can open that door, though."

He obeyed and we entered. "Wow... I wish I had a room like this in my house."

I chuckled. "Yeah, pretty cool, huh?" I prepared our tea. "So, what movie do you want to watch?" I asked him while the water was boiling.

"Um. You know, since I kind of chose the activity, why don't you surprise me with your favourite movie?"

"My favourite movie? I have to warn you it's a _very_ old movie."

"How old?"

"It's black and white, and was made in 1953."

"Oh, that old. All right. What's it called?"

" _Roman Holiday_. I hope you like it, 'cause it's kind of a girly movie."

"I don't mind that. You know, I'm the youngest brother or fourteen, so girl things are very much welcome."

My mouth dropped open and my eyes widened. "You have thirteen brothers? Oh my god."

He chuckled. "Yeah. Pretty noisy house. But most of them are gone from home and happily married, now."

"Wow... I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like."

"No, you can't."

I readied the DVD and got out a couple blankets to curl into and gave him his mug and we sat on the front row couch. I pressed the _play_ button and we watched the movie, snuggling close enough to each other and drinking our tea.

It's the story of an English Princess who is on a trip to Rome and looses it. She runs away from the Palace and a nice gentleman – a reporter – takes her in for the night. The next day, he recognizes her as the Princess, but she thinks he doesn't know. They visit Rome and do things she never did before. Of course, they fall in love. But at the end of the day she goes back to the Palace and they part.

When it was finished, I pressed another button on the remote control and the lights came back on. "Wow, it was a great movie." he said.

I looked at him. "Are you crying?"

He chuckled and dried his cheeks. "No. of course not. Yes." He laughed under his breath. "I can't believe they didn't end up together, parting each one in a different direction."

"Yeah. But you can imagine the next part. Maybe she comes back to him."

"Maybe."

Silence enveloped us for a few minutes, our mind replaying the movie in our head.

"I wish I could do what she did."

"What? Run away?"

"No. Well, yes, but just for one day. Do things I never did before."

He smiled and turned to face me, his back leaning on the armrest. "What have you never done that you would want to do?"

I shrugged. "Walk barefoot on the beach and in the ocean. Other than that, I don't know, because I don't know what there is to do, out there, behind the Palace wall. I'm trapped in here. If I want to go out, you've seen it. A plethora of guards has to come along. I've only seen Angeles from the window of a car. I wish I could smell, and touch, and listen to the Angeles life, you know?"

After that we both went back to out rooms. It was already pretty late and I had a lot of things to do in the morning.

It felt as though I had slept only a couple hours when Anna woke me up. It was just dawn.

"Mmh, what time is it, Anna?"

"Five thirty, My Lady."

I frowned, still my eyes shut. "Why is it so early?"

I felt someone sit on the bed and lean over me, whispering something in my ear. "Because you are going to the beach, Rosaline." That was definitely not Anna's voice. I opened my eyes and saw Nigel looming over me. I was still dreaming. I closed my eyes and opened them again. But he was still there. "Now, come on, Rose. We have a lot of things to do today." he said in a soft voice.

"How did you get in here?"

He leaned even closer, whispering more softly than before. "I happen to be your Maid's Favourite, so she let me in."

"Seriously?" I face palmed.

Anna gave me a pair of shorts and pink t-shirt to wear, with some pink flats, too. "Oh, you might want to wear a large sunhat and sunglasses, too, if you don't want to be recognized." Nigel said. "I'll be wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, too." I nodded.

"How are we going to get out?" I asked. "And what will Father say when he realizes I'm gone?"

"My Lady," Anna started. "Simon will take you out and take you back at the end of the day. If anyone asks him were he's going, he's going on an errand for the Queen – you'll be going with the blue car. As for your Father, I will have a guard posted in front of your room, and I'll tell the King and the Queen that you are ill and that you are not to be disturbed. For everything else, you just follow Sir Nigel." She smiled and handed me the sunhat. I had braided my long hair into a fishtail braid and swung it over my shoulder. "Now, follow me, we're going through the secret passage."

We followed her to the Garage were Simon was waiting for us in the blue car. "You might want to hide under the blankets. Lie down and cover yourselves." We obeyed. It was suffocating.

At least we didn't encounter anyone on the way down. He started the engine and the car drove away. "All right, you can come out of your hiding place, Your Highness. We're far from the Palace." We sat and watched as the sky became clearer and clearer, going from pink to light blue. The city was starting to wake up; fishing boats were already on the shore, repairing there nets. Others were yelling on the market to sell their fish. It was incredible!

Simon stopped the car. "All right. I'll pick you up here tonight at ten o'clock, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Simon." I said, already awed by what I was seeing all around me.

"And Simon, remember: if you tell anyone that the Princess is here, I'll make it very personal and you're out of a job. Or even your life. Am I clear?" I heard Nigel say. I wasn't sure if he was serious or not, so I turned around just to see Simon becoming white and nodding. "Yes, Sir." he said in a small voice, and he drove off.

Nigel took my hand. "Alright. Breakfast." He said with an amused smile. "Don't take off your hat or sunglasses, okay? You look like a plain tourist – a very pretty plain tourist, of course – and people won't look at you twice. But your face is known too well for you to roam the streets unhidden. Mine is now, too." He chuckled.

"Nigel, I still can't believe you're doing this. _We're_ doing this. I feel I'm in a dream and I'm going to wake up at any given moment and I'll have to read some reports and work my butt off with Father."

"Rose, today you are a normal girl. There is no Princess, no Selection; just the two of us, and we can do whatever you like." We arrived in front of a bakery. "Wait for me here." I sat on one of the chairs outside and he went inside. He came back with a white paper bag full of I-don't-know-what-they-were.

"I hope you like beignets, they're my favourites." He took my hand again and we went to sit on a bench facing the ocean. We ate those beignets – Ugh! It was heaven on earth – without saying much. But I felt that we didn't need to talk. This moment was so magical, I was afraid that if I talked, the spell would be broken, and I'd find myself in my bed, with a full day of reading reports in front of me. When there were no more beignets, I finally talked.

"Why are you doing all this, Nigel?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe to help you choose the One?" he winked and chuckled.

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind, then." I giggled. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Whatever you want to do. You're the boss."

"What? No. We agreed that there was no Princess and no Selected."

"Right. Um, then whatever we want."

After our breakfast, he led me to one of the pedestrian street and we gazed at the shop windows. It was amazing! I felt like a little girl in a huge toy shop. We bought two bracelets – the same ones – and we each knotted it to the other's wrist.

"How do you now this city this well?" He was bringing me in cute little streets and places.

"Because, as a DJ, a travel a lot. And I've come to Angeles quite a few times."

"Oh. I travelled a lot, too, but I've seen places only from the Limo window, or the inside of Palace walls. I wish I could travel like you, and actually visit places."

"Well, to be honest, I'm tired of travelling. All I want now is to find love – although I think I found it –" he quickly added, "and settle down; start a family. But you already know that."

"I do, yes. And I'm going to be honest with you, too. When I first saw you, I really didn't think I'd like you, you know the stereotypes on tattoos and DJ's and all. But how you revealed your secret that night around the brazier just made my heart melt. And since then, I've been mentally kicking myself again and again for not letting you kiss me on the plane. But you know that, too, I guess."

"Yeah, I do." He put an arm around my shoulders. "How would you like to go to the beach, now? We'll just buy a sandwich for lunch and then we lounge by the water?"

"Oh yes! I've been dreaming of doing this all my life!"

"Good. Then let's go." We headed for the beach, but we first stopped in another bakery and bought two sandwiches and two water bottles.

"Ha. I never drank in a plastic water bottle before." I said, eying the bottle.

He burst out laughing. "What? You're not serious?!"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess there is a start for everything, right?" he chuckled again.

"Shut up, don't make fun of me!" I said amused. "I bet you never ate caviar with a golden spoon."

"I can't say I have..."

"There." I said pointedly.

We both laughed and we finally arrived on the beach. I immediately kicked my shoes off and ran to the water. It was cool, but not cold. I closed my eyes and tried to memorize every single feeling. The water licking my feet and calves, the sound of the waves rolling and crashing on the sand, the sound of seagulls flying overhead, the smell of salt and wet sand, the touch of Nigel's arms around my waist. Wait, what? I opened my eyes and, yes, he was holding me tight against him. I leaned my head against his shoulder and inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly. I felt perfectly safe in his arms. It was an amazing feeling. I wished I could freeze this moment right there and live it forever.

We stayed like that a few minutes, not wanting to move or change anything.

"Are you hungry?" he whispered in my ear.

"Kind of." I whispered back.

"Good, because I am." He let go of me and we both sat in the sand, a little further away from the water and we ate our sandwiches.

"That's another thing I never ate before: a sandwich. This is a day for new beginnings!"

He looked at me. "It sure is. Is it a new beginning for us, too?"

I smiled and took his hand. "Yeah, we can say that." Our eyes locked, and I completely lost myself in his cognac eyes. "Oh, I wanted to ask you: what's this tattoo?" I pointed at his left arm.

"It says "Love|Life|Death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints". I think it's self-explanatory."

"And the other ones? I saw them when you were bare chest, in the swimming pool."

He pulled off his t-shirt. "This one," he pointed to the number 24601, "was my grandfather's soldier plate-number when he went to war. He never came back. I was only five years old when he died."

"Oh, Nigel, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked anything. This is very private, I-"

"I'm glad you asked. I want you to know me, you know?"

I smiled. "And that one?" on his left chest.

"That's the ancient Greek word for _Love,_ the one that represents family."

I felt that with every second that I passed with him, I was more and more attracted to this beautiful young man. Even though he seemed a bit rough around the edges, he was the perfect gentleman with a generous heart made of the purest gold that could be found on earth. Was I falling in love with him? Maybe. Who knows? But I would let myself fall for him again and again and again.

When we were done with our lunch, we decided to stroll half in the water and half on the beach. We walked hand in hand, talking about this and that. And though it sounds ridiculous, when a couple is holding hands, it either feels right or it doesn't. I suppose it has to do with the intertwining of the fingers and the proper placement of the thumb. And it felt absolutely right, holding Nigel's hand.

I couldn't say how many miles we walked, it could have been only one or ten, I had no idea. Nigel suggested we start heading back. So we turned around and retraced our steps.

"Hey, have you ever tried to run in the sand? It's pretty hard. But then again, a Princess wouldn't do it, right?" he eyed me mischievously.

"Is this a challenge, Mister Duchamp?" I said, letting go of his hand. "Catch me!" I started running as fast as I could. But he was right! It was very hard: my feet kept sinking in the sand! In no time he caught up with me and grabbed my legs. We both fell face down in the sand. We were laughing so hard, but I tried to stand up again and resume my running. Again, he caught me pretty quickly. But this time instead of grabbing my legs, he swept me off my feet in his arms, and, still laughing, walked to the water, threatening me to dump me in it.

I shrieked and laughed and tried to wiggle myself out of his embrace, but he was too strong for me. Our eyes locked and he suddenly stopped walking. We both focused on each other. He put me down – we had water mid-calves – and he cupped my face in his soft hands, kissing me so gently, I first thought it was a small gush of wind. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my fingers in his short hair. I was scared my legs wouldn't carry me anymore, but I was surprisingly steady. Tingles and heat spread through my entire body. Then he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. It was amazing how I fit exactly against him. We lost ourselves in that kiss. But in the end, it wasn't just one kiss. It was millions of kisses.

Too soon, the afternoon passed and it was time to eat dinner. But neither one of us was hungry. We were only hungry for each other. We didn't let go of each other for the rest of the day. We ate ice-cream for dinner and snuggled close on a bench facing the ocean.

I smelled my ice-cream, and extended it to him. "Hey smell, this, it's so weird." He brought his nose closer and when he inhaled, I pushed the ice-cream against his face. I burst out laughing. "It works every single time!"

"You wanna play that game? Alright." he said slyly. He pushed his ice-cream on my cheek before I could do anything else.

We both had ice-cream on our face, and we burst out laughing. We kissed each other again, spreading our ice-cream on each-other's face. I wish I had taken a camera with me. This was the most perfect day I had ever lived. And I loved Nigel even more for it.

The sky was darkening, and it was soon time to go meet Simon to go back to the Palace. Back to normal life. Back to being a Princess, and a Selected. I wished everyday was like this. But unfortunately, every good thing has and end.

But somewhere deep inside, I knew this was just the beginning.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Thanks to** _TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo_ **(Nigel's creator) for the date idea! i had so much fun writing it.  
**

 **Quotes : **

**_"I wished I could freeze this moment right there and live it forever." -_ The Hunger Games Series, Catching Fire (I think)  
**

 ** _"And though it sounds ridiculous, when a couple is holding hands, it either feels right or it doesn't. I suppose it has to do with the intertwining of the fingers and the proper placement of the thumb."_ \- The Wedding, by Nicholas Sparks**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi! here you go yet another chapter for you lovelies =) hope you like it =]  
**

 **I've started to figure out the rest of the story and lay out the next chapters... we have more or less 10 left until the ELITE. after that, we'll see what happens ;-)**

 ** _Chapter 20_**

"How are you feeling this morning, darling?" Father asked, as I entered his office the next morning.

I frowned. Then I remembered Anna's excuse for my not being in the Palace. "Oh, better. Much better. I don't know what got into me, but now I'm alright. Thank you."

"Good, then today we'll be able to prepare your next visit. The Report is tonight, and your people need to know where you're going next and with whom. Do you already know?"

"Yes, but I haven't told them yet. I'll do this today."

"Okay."

We went down for breakfast and worked all morning with his advisors for the next visit. I was a little bit nervous about it. I needed some backup, so I decided three Selected would come with me.

When lunch time came up, I was eager to eat. This meeting was stressful and stress made me hungry. I ate silently, gazing at the men's table. Something was wrong. They weren't as loud and happy as other times. Had they managed to put A+B together? Had they found out what happened the previous day? I really hoped not. This could be disastrous for the Selection. I didn't want to be the centre of a fight. Maybe they had forgotten that they weren't doing the choosing of who left and who stayed. I was doing the choosing. I was the one choosing a husband. I was the one who could, with a single word, dismiss them. Had they forgotten that?

The mood was heavy and I wanted to lighten it.

"Hunter," I called over the noise of forks and knives. "I would like to spend some time with you, this afternoon. I still didn't have the chance to get to know you better."

He was a bit red, and I found that cute. He nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Seriously? Listen." I was now talking to all of them. "The next one who calls me 'Your Highness' is eliminated on the spot. I'm Rosaline, for goodness' sake. Haven't you had enough time to get used to that? From now on, please call me Rosaline. Thank you." I exhaled, and turned my attention back to Hunter. "Hunter, I'll be waiting for you after lunch in the hall in front of the Women's Room. And take your camera with you." I smiled slyly and resumed eating.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Nigel nudging Hunter's side, whispering something to him. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I hoped he wouldn't be too jealous. It was a Selection, after all, and I had twenty-one boyfriends, now, to deal with and spend time with. All at the same time, unfortunately.

I headed to the Women's Room and sat on the chair in the hall where I had last seen Alisdair. I missed him. I missed his fun and loving personality. No one was like him, here. I felt there was a hole in my life now. I hoped somebody would fill that hole, and soon.

"Rosaline." Hunter said, pulling me out of my reverie. He had his camera hanging around his neck and had taken off his suit jacket, and rolled up his sleeves. He still had his tie, though, but slightly loosened.

"Hunter. Glad you could make it."

"Um, you don't mind if I don't have my suit jacket?"

"Of course not. It's way too warm outside for you to wear it. I'm going to show you a place that you, as a photographer, will like very much."

"Oh? I'm curious, now. Please, lead the way." he said, giving me his arm.

I took it. "Hunter, I have something rather private to ask you. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, okay?

"Um, alright."

"I remember you saying that you were afraid of having your heart broken again. Why did you put your name in the Selection?"

His shoulders slumped a tiny bit, but I noticed it. "I don't know. I never thought I would be Selected in the first place. Maybe it was an act of despair, I don't know. But then, after a week or two here, I knew I didn't even stand the slightest chance."

"What makes you say that?" We followed the gravel path to the Palace forest, behind the Palace.

"I'm not an idiot, you know. Anyone with eyes and a brain can figure out who of the boys will have the best chance."

"Really? Who do you think stands a good chance, then?" I was really curious about what he was going to say. I needed to be more careful in the future. If I could be read like an open book by anyone, I definitely needed to change something.

"Well, for starters, every boy from Castes three and above. Four and bellow, we're not worthy to be a Royal."

"Says who?" That was exactly why I was doing this _'My heart beats with you'_ campaign. If the image I gave until now was of somebody this selfish and snobby, I really needed to change.

"You. From the earliest memory I have of you on the _Report_ , that's what I saw."

"And haven't you seen anything else since coming here?" I wasn't sure if I was angry or desperate. If even someone living on the inside with me for a few weeks didn't see that I was not this snobby, selfish prick, than how could the Illéan people see it?

"I thought I did. But what else is dating thirty-five boys more than selfish and snobby? You know, love isn't found in a general store." He let go of my arm and stepped a little bit away from me. He snorted. "I feel like I'm on display for you to look at and test before you make your final choice. Love doesn't work like that." He was talking faster and louder, now, getting more upset and angry by the minute. I shouldn't have asked him anything in the first place. "What if your soul-mate is an Eight, a homeless guy living under a bridge? What if it's a far-away Prince in another country?" Don't say it, Hunter. "What if it's Prince Philippe himself? He came at your beck and call, didn't he, before the Selection, right?"

"Okay, Hunter, you need to calm down."

"No, you listen to me, _Princess_!" he pointed his finger at my nose, tears threatening to overflow down his cheeks. "I'm a person! I'm not a toy you can play with and throw away when you're finished looking at it." Tears streamed on his face. "I hoped you would be different. More considerate of us. But it's amazing how you can break a heart without even doing anything. I wasn't good enough for you. I'll never be good enough for anybody." He slumped on the nearest bench – yes, there were benches everywhere on the Palace grounds – and took his head in his hands.

I really didn't know what to do. My heart wanted to console him, but my ego wanted to leave him cry alone like a baby and storm back to the Palace. A battle raged in me for a minute or two. But my heart was stronger and I sat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" he said, recoiling at my touch. I took my arm off.

"Hunter. You'll be good enough for someone some day."

"No." he talked between sobs. "Every girlfriend I ever had dumped me with the excuse that I wasn't good enough for them."

"That's a lame excuse. And a lie. You are good enough. You need to trust yourself more. You're a great photographer. I've seen the pictures you took of Maggie blindfolded and running after the boys. Every single picture brought the atmosphere of the game. I could almost hear my sister laugh and the boys calling her."

He snorted. "Yeah right. You're saying that to make me feel better."

"Hunter, you have an amazing gift. And I promise you that someday, a young woman will be enthralled by your art and your passion. You see the world differently from us mere mortals, and that alone makes you good enough for anyone."

"But not for you, apparently." He sighed and dried his tears. "Where did you want to bring me for the pictures?"

I smiled and took his hand. "Right beyond those trees." he stood and let me guide him there.

Behind those trees was a pond with white and purple water lilies floating on the surface, and frogs singing their lungs off, welcoming us into the midst of their lair. Birds had made theirs nests in the nearby trees and baby birds were chirping, waiting for their mothers to come back with food. I loved this place. You could imagine yourself in a fairy tale. You could imagine kissing a frog and it would magically turn into a perfect Prince. Unfortunately, they don't exist. Expect in fairy tales, of course.

"What is this place?" he asked in awe. But he didn't wait for my answer. He immediately started snapping pictures. I watched him for some time. What I said was true. He had a gift and saw things other didn't. Or in a different way.

I sat on a rock and slipped my shoes off, plunging my toes in the warm water. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of this magical place. I didn't notice Hunter taking pictures of me.

"Rosaline, are you afraid of frogs?"

"No. Why?"

He chuckled. "I would like to do a funny picture of you kissing a frog."

I burst out laughing. "You're not serious?"

"Why not? Imagine it turned into a Prince?"

I chuckled. "All right. I don't mind holding a frog in my hands, but you'll have to catch it for me."

"Okay." he swung his camera on his back, and took off his shoes and socks to go in the water to catch a frog.

"Wait. Let me take pictures of you catching a frog!" This was going to be funny.

He shook his head and laughed. "Yeah, okay." He gave me his camera and I followed him with his camera. He slipped and almost fell, but he managed to get his balance. I snapped picture after picture, laughing so hard my belly hurt. After the fifth try, he grabbed a perfectly green frog and quickly got out of the water. I put his camera on the rock nearby and took the frog from his hands. I held it in my cupped hands.

"All right, whenever you're ready!" he called out.

I moved my hands closer and pretended to kiss the frog form a few inches away.

"Closer." he ordered.

I obeyed, bringing the frog closer. It croaked once, and it made me jump and shriek and release the frog, who jumped off in the water. We were both laughing so hard. Hunter slipped – he was still barefoot – and fell in the water. He managed to hold his camera over his head and not have it fall in the water. But he was soaked.

I ran to help him out.

"Take the camera!" he said. I took it and put it on the ground far enough from the water. Then I came back to help him out. He was soaked to the bone.

"Do you want a wet hug?"

I shrieked and laughed at the same time, and started running. "No!" he ran after me and caught my waist, both of us falling in the mud and grass. My dress was ruined. But I didn't care. He was laughing, and that was what mattered the most. Once steady on our feet, and true to himself, he hugged me tight, soaking me.

Then he let go of me and looked at me with a sly smile. "You know, I think we're better off friends than anything else. I'm doing to forget about finding true love."

"No, Hunter, don't say that. You are going to find a lovely young lady. Besides, you're a Selected, now. Girls are going to line up at your front door, and you'll only have to make your pick. I know love isn't found in a general store, but it can still happen."

He sighed. "I don't know. Maybe we should go back and get changed. I'll show you the pictures in a few days."

Hand in hand and wet and muddy, we headed back to the Palace.

Hunter went directly to his room. I wanted to enjoy the sun before being cooped up inside for the rest of the day, thanks to the _Report_ and all. I reclined on one of the lounging chairs by the swimming pool and closed my eyes for a bit.

"Your Hi- Majesty."

I glared at Alec.

"I didn't say 'Highness', I said 'Majesty'." He said putting his hands in the air defensively.

"Alec, it's basically the same thing. I want to be called by my name. Is it that hard?"

"No, I'm sorry, Rosaline. I'm just so used to calling you 'Highness', but I'll make an effort."

"Thank you." I closed my eyes again. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"I just wanted to enjoy the sun before the end of the day." he reclined on the chair next to mine.

"Same here. So tell me, Alec. I remember reading in your form that you were a dancer."

"That's right."

"And what kind of dances do you do?"

"Oh, pretty much everything. Classical ballet, flamenco, hip hop,..."

"I'd like to see you dance one time."

"Sure. Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just because I have absolutely no artistic side in me. No music, no dance, no art. Nothing. I'm always awed and impressed by things others can do with there bodies. I can only use my brain. And not in the best way all the time."

"What do you mean? Wasn't the Campaign your idea?"

"Sure it was. But even the best ideas bring doubt."

"Well, you shouldn't doubt that idea. It's the best any Royal has ever had. The people are going to love you."

"I hope you're right. I really do. 'Cause if this doesn't work, I don't know what else to do."

"You'll find something."

Cricket songs filled the air around us. It felt good just to do nothing for a few minutes.

"Rosaline, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you already have favourites among us?"

I jerked my eyes open and stared at him. "I'm afraid that's classified information." I laughed softly.

"I have eyes, you know? And ears. I know what's being said among the boys, and what's happening behind closed doors in the Men's Parlour and when you're not around,"

"And what's that?" I asked him.

He eyed me mischievously. "I'm afraid that's classified information." he chuckled, mocking my voice.

I chuckled, too. "Fair enough." There was a part of me that wanted to know, and the other part that didn't want anything to do with their stories. Right now, all that was important was the sun on my skin, and my muddy dress drying out.

"What happened to your dress?"

"I fell in the mud when Hunter fell in the pond. It was pretty funny, to be honest."

He laughed. "I can imagine that." he paused. "Can you at least tell me where I stand?"

"What?"

"On your scale, to see if I have a chance with you."

"Oh. You know what? You give me a piece of information about the boys, I'll tell you where you stand. Okay?"

"All right. I know that two of them have a deep crush for your sister, Kate-Lyn. Now you tell me."

"What?! Who?" I sat up straight and looked at him.

"Tell me where I stand."

I pouted. "In the middle, for now. Now tell me the names of the two boys, please."

He stared at me. "In the middle? How is this possible? We've never had a date or anything. Why am I not lower than that?"

I immediately noticed the sarcasm in his voice, but I feigned not seeing it. "Because you all start in the middle. And what you do or what we do together bumps you up or down. Can you please give me the two names?" I smiled a flirty smile.

"An information for an information. What are you willing to pay for those two names?"

"What do you want?" Father always said I was terrible at negotiating. But he would be proud of me now.

"For two names... Hmm... what about a long passionate kiss."

"You're ready to risk your place in the middle for a kiss?"

"Yeah. I've always been told I was a good kisser. So yeah, I'm ready to risk this."

"All right then. You give me two names for a kiss?"

"Yep. Jerad and Adam." he leaned in closer. "Now, you keep your end of the deal." His smile invited me to come in closer, too. He cupped my cheek with a hand and pressed his lips against mine. His lips were round and warm, and smiling against mine. His tongue flirted playfully with mine, sending shivers along my arms and legs and in the lowest parts of my stomach. It was intoxicating. I kissed him back, and lost myself in that kiss.

Then I backed off a little, breaking the kiss.

He smiled, still flirting. "So, did that bump me up or down your scale?"

"Up. Without a doubt."

"Good." He stood and walked away, leaving me alone on my chair. I needed to move, to go change my clothes for the _Report._ But my body wouldn't obey. I stayed a few more minutes there before forcing myself to move.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw some movement in the windows upstairs. I lifted my head and saw Nigel staring down at me, a pair of headphone on his ears, and not smiling at all. I forced the image away and ran to my room to get ready.


	22. Chapter 22

**Heyy! Thanks for the reviews, I LOVE reading them! it gives me another point of view on the story =)**

 **Pfiew, long chapter, here. It's funny because I always dread _Report_ chapters, and I always end up writing a lot, even though I don't really know what I'm gonna write until I actually write it. **

**_Chapter 21_**

Anna helped me get dressed. It was a beautiful yellow flour length gown, strapless, and in a 50's style, with a low waist. I slipped on black heels and a white gold necklace and tiara, paired with diamond earrings. I preferred pearl earrings, but Anna said it would be better with the diamonds. Fine. If it makes everyone happy.

"Thank you, Anna. I really don't know what I would do without you. And don't say I would always be late." I liked teasing her a bit, because she teased me, too. Besides from Kate, Anna was my best friend. I trusted her with my life. And with my image. I tried telling her not to call me 'My Lady', but she wouldn't budge. So I let her.

I headed down the stairs, not running this time; I didn't want to spring my ankle again. When I landed on the second floor, Jerad was coming out of his room.

"Rosaline! You look like the sun! I just love your dress." he said in an awed voice.

"Thank you, Jerad."

He gave me his arm and escorted me to the studio. Just before entering, he whispered something in my ear. "Yellow's my favourite colour. And you look absolutely ravishing in it."

"Aw, thank you." I kissed him on the cheek just as we passed the door. Again, everybody stared at us. I was making a habit of doing a grand entrance in the _Report_ studio every week, it seemed. Oh well. We both walked all the way to the boys.

"Good afternoon, everyone." I said to the gawking boys. "I hope you all had a great day. I know I did." I looked at Hunter and we exchanged a smile. I was afraid of what I would see if I looked at Nigel. "Tonight, I have no idea what Everest has in store for us. I know he's more comfortable around you now, but please don't mess with him on camera. He's a very sensitive guy, and I felt bad for him the time he almost lost it. So please be kind to him, okay?"

"Rosaline," said Andreas. "When haven't we been kind to anyone?" He winked and we all laughed.

"Well, I don't know what is going on between you guys when I'm not around, so I can't tell if you're always kind. But I know you will tonight." I chuckled.

"Two minutes!" The stage director seemed to know how to say only that.

"I'll see you later." They all bowed their heads awkwardly and I turned around and went to my seat.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Kate. What have you been up to, today?"

"Nothing. What have _you_ been up to _yesterday_? You know I can go to your room from that secret passage. 'Ill and cannot be disturbed'" she mocked Anna's voice. "Where were you?"

"Ten seconds!" Ugh, thank you.

"I'll tell you later." I whispered. _Or not_.

The Anthem played and Everest jumped in as soon as it was over.

"All right! Good evening to you all! I hope you all had a great week! I know this week has been busy for the Princess, between dating boys and her very first visit to the Angeles Children's Hospital. I hope you all tuned in yesterday night to see what happened. If not, here are some images of Tuesday."

Oh no. I totally forgot about that. I was supposed to look at the footage on Thursday, and I was with Nigel all day. I plastered my mastered smile on my face and watched the images for the first time. I tried not to show any surprise. I genuinely smiled when the footage with Alyssa was on, with my tiara on her head. She was so cute! There was also footage of Adam and Andreas interacting with some of the children.

If all of the visits went this well, it would be a success. I caught Adam and Andreas grinning at me and I sent them two thumbs up, which they sent back.

"That was a great visit! Princess Rosaline, tell us where you will be going next? I think everyone is eager to know and follow your Campaign. And trust me, my heart beats with yours on this." he grinned and invited me to come sit on the plush couch, facing him on his chair. "Oh, by the way, you look stunning tonight. You look as radiant as the sun!"

I laughed. "Thank you! That's exactly what Jerad told me not a few minutes ago."

Everest turned to the boys. "Jerad? You think she's beautiful tonight?"

"She's always beautiful, Everest." Jerad called out from his seat. "But yellow is my favourite colour, so she's even _more_ beautiful than normal." Wow. Coming from a shy guy who has a crush on my sister, that was something. Either Alec bribed me to get a kiss and invented something; either Jerad is a very good actor. I couldn't say.

"Aww, Jerad that is so sweet!" Then he addressed all of the boys. "Who thinks she is most radiant tonight?" And all the hands shot up, even Nigel's. An unconscious sigh escaped my lips. "So, Princess, where will you be going next on your Campaign?"

"I'll be going to Tammins with three of the Selected."

"Ooh. And who are you going to visit this time? And with whom?"

"I'll be visiting the Men's Prison. And as for whom, it's a surprise. You'll all see who's coming with me when you see the footage of the visit.

"Wow. You certainly don't make thing easy for yourself. I hope you take strong boys with you, if anything happens."

"Oh, Everest. I'm sure nothing will happen. Don't worry." I waved my hand in front of me, dismissing the mere idea. What could ever happen with the plethora of guards coming along? General Finlee would make sure nothing happened to me, or he would have my Father to answer to.

"Well, I do hope so, Princess." He paused and put his hand on my arm. It wasn't Everest the _Report_ host doing this, but Everest my friend. I nodded my thanks to him. "Thank you, Your Highness, I am going to talk to the boys now." I walked back to my chair, ignoring Kate's stare. She was still waiting for an explanation for the previous day.

Everest had the boys come in groups of threes to the couch and asked them some questions. The first group to come was Daxton, Evan and Theo.

"So, Sir Daxton, how have you been enjoying yourself until now?"

"I've had a blast so far! I just wished Princess Rosaline gad more time for all of us. I know we only have twenty-four hours in a day, but I've only went on one date with her."

"You might want to consider yourself lucky, Sir Daxton. I understand that there are still some of the Selected with whom she still hadn't had the chance to spend some time with."

"Yeah I know, but still. Try putting twenty-five boys in a same Palace trying to win the Princess' heart. It's a sport in itself, I can assure you!"

"Has there been fights between you?"

"Not yet." Evan answered. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it came soon. You see, Everest, like you said, some have spent time once or twice with Rosaline. And some, not at all. I won't complain, though, because I got her first kiss." he said with a proud grin. I pinched the bridge of my nose. This was going nowhere.

"And you, Sir Theo? Have you had a date with the Princess yet?"

I held my breath. But Theo was waiting for a question directed at him, so he was ready. It took him just a split second longer than the others to answer. "No, not yet. And I don't know when that will be. But I'm looking forward to it." He grinned and looked at me. I smiled back and mouthed the words 'me too'. He gave me a thumbs up.

"All right, boys, thank you for your time." The three of them headed back to their seats and Everest called the next group: Nigel, Kenan and Axel. This was going to be interesting.

"Sir Axel. What have you been doing since the beginning of the Selection?"

"To be honest, Sir, I've been trying to do anything to get the Princess' attention."

"And is it working?" Everest asked, leaning forward.

"I thought it did, in the first few days. But there are too many of us. Sometimes I feel she doesn't know which way to turn. She has so many things going on. Imagine ruling the country with the King, going on her awesome campaign and dating twenty-five – well, twenty-one, now – boys at the same time. I wouldn't know where to turn either." He looked at me, a slight grin on his lips. "But I think she's doing a good job." And he winked at me. I chuckled and nodded a 'thank you'.

Everest continued. "Sir Nigel. Please tell me you've been on a date with the Princess."

Nigel made eye contact with me without moving his head, because I was in his field of vision. He inhaled, but I knew he wouldn't talk about our secret outing. Father would kill us both. No, not me. He would kill Nigel, and ground me for the rest of my life if he knew.

Nigel focused on Everest again. "I have, yes."

"How was it? What did you do?" Everest was eager to get some details from at least one date. But I had a feeling he wouldn't get any from Nigel.

"It was a movie date. And can I just say it was a date of new beginnings?" He looked at me again, smiling.

"What does that mean, Sir Nigel?" Everest was too curious for his own good.

Nigel turned his attention to Everest again. "I'm afraid that's between the Princess and I." he said with a sarcastic smile.

Everest pouted. "Fine. I hope I'll get some more details from Sir Kenan, if he went on a date with Princess Rosaline."

"Oh, yes I did!" Kenan piped in, Everest asked him what we had done together. But I wasn't listening. Nigel's eyes and mine were locked together in a sea of beautiful memories. It made me breathe a little faster, and I felt my cheeks heating. Kate-Lyn sent her elbow in my arm and I jerked back to reality.

The group of boys was going back to their seats and being replaced by a new group: Justin, Matt and Aaron. Of those three, only Matt had something interesting to tell.

"Oh! You made that dress she wore on her first visit?" Everest was amazed. "Wow! You sure are an expert. She was lovely in it!"

"Yes, she was. And I was glad she liked it."

"Sir Matt, can I ask you something personal?" Everest asked.

"Yeah."

"Can you say you love the Princess already? I mean, you've given her a beautiful gift, and that can only mean love, right?"

"I like her very much, yes. But I can't say I'm in love with her yet. It's been only three weeks. It's a little short to fall in love, don't you think?" Matt defended himself.

"Have you ever heard of love at first sight, Matt?" Justin asked with a teasing voice.

"Yeah." He looked at Justin. "But apparently it didn't work with the Princess." They both stared at each other and exchanged a knowing glace and chuckled. What just happened?

"And you, Sir Aaron?" Everest asked. "Can you say you love the Princess already?"

"Well, I haven't talked to her much yet, and as Axel said earlier, there are still a lot of us, and only one of her. We all have to wait our turn." I saw him turn around and pointedly look at Nigel, who just lifted an eyebrow, saying something like _'You got a problem?'_ I didn't miss a thing that transpired between those boys tonight. Something was fishy and I wanted to find out what it was. Aaron focused on Everest again and continued. "But I can honestly say I have a serious crush on her. I've had that crush for a few years now. So I think it's just a matter of time before I get to go on a date with her and fall in love for real, this time. And maybe make her fall in love with me, too, if I can. Now, that would be a treat!"

"That would indeed." Everest chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Okay. Thanks for your answers, I'm going to invite the next three Selected to come here: Alec, Adam and Hunter."

The boys exchanged places and Everest started again with his questions.

"Sir Adam. You were one of the two first boys to go on a visit with the Princess for her campaign. What do you think of this campaign of hers?"

"Well, Everest, I think it's completely genius. The people she visits get to see exactly who she is." He leaned in closer, as if to tell a secret. "And I can assure you, it's quite different from you see on screen."

"Oh? How so?" asked Everest, even though he knew that better than anyone.

"She's kind, funny, thoughtful, and has a great memory. For example, she memorized almost every single thing from our forms and she remembers small things that we said. It's just amazing; I don't know how she does that!" Ha, if only he knew about my white board in my room. He would be really disappointed. I do have a good memory, but it's rather short time memory, or very selective.

"Wow!" said Everest. "And can you say that this new image you have of her made you fall in love with her?"

Adam blushed, and I wanted to drag Kate all the way there and tell the whole world about them. "Um, I'm not sure I can say that." He quickly glanced over at Kate. I noticed Alec smothering a laugh and nodding imperceptibly to me.

I'm not sure Everest saw that, but he quickly turned to Hunter. "Sir Hunter, did you go on a date with the Princess, already?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And? What happened?"

"Um, how do I put this? We were both wet and muddy by the time we came back to the Palace. It was this afternoon."

"Ooh, so it's fresh! What happened for you two to be wet and muddy?"

He looked my way and we both burst out laughing. "Let's just say it was a photo shoot that turned into something pretty funny: she tried to kiss a frog, but it croaked and jumped away, scaring us both and I fell in the ponds, and she slipped in the mud."

Everest was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down his cheeks. He dried them and hiccupped. "Oh my goodness. This is hilarious. I wish I had been there to see that. And have you fallen in love with her, or have you just fallen in the pond?" He chuckled at his own lame joke.

"No, only in the pond. I'm not good enough for her." No, not again! Hunter, what did we talk about this afternoon! You're good enough for people who notice that you see the world differently. And you know I noticed it. Ugh. Don't start being emotional again, please! Unfortunately, I don't have telepathic powers.

"Oh, no, Hunter. Did she tell you that?"

"No. I say it myself. But I hope to find someone back home who I'm good enough for."

"You're going home?" Alec asked

"No. Not yet. But I know she won't choose me. I'll just go and enjoy the Palace as long as I'm here."

Alec patted his shoulder. "I'm with you, man."

"Sir Alec," Everest said. "Did you have the chance to go on a date with Princess Rosaline, yet?"

"Nope, but I still got a kiss." He gazed at me and winked. I chuckled and shook my head.

"How on earth did you manage that?"

He was still looking at me, a sly smile on his lips. "Negotiation."

"And the kiss was the price to pay?"

"Yep."

"What did you give her in return?"

"Just some information about some of the boys." I quickly looked at the group of boys, who had all wide eyes, trying to guess at what Alec had said. I wondered how many other secrets hovered over them...

"Oh my. You'll have to watch your back, from now on, Sir Alec. I'm afraid you just made yourself some enemies if you don't tell them what you revealed to the Princess."

He waved the comment away and leaned back on the backseat of the couch, resting his ankle on his other knee. "Don't worry about me. I secured my place in Rosaline's heart." He looked at me and blew me a kiss. Huh, yeah right, Alec. Don't be too self-confident. I still need to spend some one-on-one time with you. Careful, there.

Everest clapped his hands once. "Okay, let's get to the next group." He looked at his paper. "Westley, Tristan and Markus, can you come over here, please?"

Markus and Adam high-fived as they passed each other. Good. At least some were friends.

"Okay, who of you three already went on a date with the Princess?" They all shook their heads. "What? What's happening here?" He turned to me and lifted his hands in a question pose.

"There's only one me, remember?" I called out from my seat. "And it's been only three weeks."

"I know, I know." Everest said, turning his attention back to the boys. "You don't have anything juicy to talk about, then?"

"I do." Westley spoke up.

"Please do tell, then!" Everest sat on the edge of his chair, listening closely to what Westley was about to say.

"Well, I can say the same thing that Adam said: she has a great memory for small things. It would sound unimportant to some, but for her, it's very important. And it shows where her heart is: even though there are now twenty-one of us, she holds us all in her heart."

"I'm sorry to ask, Sir Westley, but could you be a little more precise, please?"

He sighed. Did he really want to talk about this? "Well, she came to see if I was alright in a situation were she knew I clearly wouldn't be. Everybody knew about this situation, but she was the only one who remembered."

"Awww, how sweet. Our Princess is really something, isn't she?"

Westley looked at me and nodded. His messy brown hair made him look like a small boy, but his green eyes were enough to give away his maturity and his care for others. I don't know why, but something about him tugged at my heart.

"Sir Markus, do you have anything to add?"

"I haven't had a chance either to get a date with Princess Rosaline, but I got to spend some time with Princess Maggie. I only have one twin brother, so I'm very glad to have a little sister for the time being." He turned to look at Maggie, winked at her and blew her a kiss. She giggled and blew him a kiss, too. I wasn't even surprised because everyone loved Maggie, and I was glad she was having a good time, too, with those boys.

"Awww." Everest said, a hand on his heart. "That is so sweet! I'm really happy you guys take Princess Maggie in consideration, too. Isn't she the sweetest little girl?" Every boy and all the audience agreed.

"Sir Tristan, how about you? Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Well," he said scratching his dark stubble and resting his elbows on his knees. "I think I'm the only one who can say that I offered her an ice-cream in one of our first group-dates. That's something, right?" He chuckled. "Oh, and I was totally defeated against her and Princess Kate-Lyn in the pool. Do you remember the pictures Princess Rosaline showed of the game where we were on the shoulders of someone?"

"Yeah?" Everest nodded.

"Well, that was me, shamelessly falling to my doom with Westley." He laughed. "But other than that, I can't say I had much opportunity to talk and spend time with her. But I'm a patient man." Oh my goodness! I never noticed his slight British accent. I really needed to make time for the boys I haven't seen on one-on-one yet. And soon.

"Okay, I have two more groups of boys to interview." Markus, Tristan and Westly stood and were replaced by Andreas, Jerad and Logan.

"Sir Andreas, how did you like that visit to the Children's Hospital? Was it something you had already done once?"

"No, I had never done that I'm not a great fan of hospitals and doctors. But it was really an honour to go with her. And I really enjoyed it. You know what? If she sends me home, I'm planning on making a habit of visiting children in Hospitals."

"Oh really? And will that be okay with your current job?"

He shrugged. "I'm a software designer in my father's company. I can easily quit." He leaned closer to Everest, and whispered: "I hate my job." Then he made himself comfortable on the couch again. "I've always wanted to have a more social-inclined job, you know? But my family has been in the electronics for so long, that I just followed in their footsteps without really thinking about it. But since that visit, I know what I want to do with my life – if I'm not the chosen One, that is."

"And what is that?"

He grinned. "I'm twenty-three, but it's never too late to reinvent yourself, right? I want to be a Clown Doctor."

Everest's eyes widened. "Um, explain, please?"

Andreas grinned even bigger. "I'm just going to dress up as a clown and lift the spirits of all those kids who have to spend days on end in boring Hospitals. I found my dream-job!" He turned to me. "Thank you, _Your Highness_! Yes, I said 'Highness', you can send the clown home." He blew me a kiss, which I caught mid-air and planted on my cheek, grinning to him. He would make a perfect Clown Doctor, that was for sure.

"Sir Jerad, did you have a date with the Princess?"

"No, not yet. But I don't mind. She has a lot on her plate, already; I don't want to push her or anything. It will come in her time."

"Very wise, Sir Jerad." He turned to Logan. "And you, Sir? You had a date yet?"

He chuckled lightly. "Not with Princess Rosaline, but with Princess Maggie. But I don't think you can call that a date. We just like spending time together. She is my little sister's age and she reminds me of her. She has a lot to say though. Very funny and interesting things to say; about her sisters, mostly." I glared at Maggie. What on earth did she tell him?

"A very merry unbirthday to you, Logan!" She called out to him in her high pitched voice.

He grinned and chuckled. "A very merry unbirthday to you, too, Maggie!" he said.

"What was that about?" Everest asked, puzzled by the exchanged words.

"Private joke. It would be too long to explain, I'm sorry." Logan said, half apologetic, half mysteriously.

"Very well." Everest gave in. "Last group, please: Caleb, Kurt and Michael."

The two groups exchanged places and Everest started immediately.

"All right. The last three Selected. Do any of you have a date to talk about? Or an interaction with the Princess, or anything to say? I'm afraid we don't have much time left on the _Report_ tonight."

Micheal answered. "Neither one of us had a date with the Princess, yet. But what I can say is that I've learned that Princess Rosaline is an incredible young woman, and she does things you'd never imagine a Princess doing."

"Really? Like what?" Everest asked, always way too curious.

"Did you know that Princesses Bombe-dive?"

"What?! No way." Everest shook his head.

"Yep," said Caleb. "And did you know Princesses were Harem pants?"

Everest's eyes widened. I could see he already knew all that and that he was trying hard not to laugh.

Kurt entered their game, too. "And did you know Princesses play soccer?"

"I don't believe it!" Everest was the funniest to watch.

"And," said Caleb, lifting a finger, "She wears flip-flops!" He said that like it was scandalous.

"Oh my goodness, stop!" Everest was trying not to laugh. "This is too much to take in." He put his hand on his chest and pretended to focus on breathing again. He turned to the audience. "All right, Ladies and Gentlemen. That's all the time we have for tonight. I hope you got to get to know the boys a little better and that you finally have a favourite to root for! Good night Illéa!" The Anthem played, and it was finally over.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Hope you liked this chapter and got to know the boys a little bit better^^**

 **To FrillaBrille201 : I hope you like Andreas' new job ;-) I thought it was a nice "social-enclined" job, don't you think? ;-) so yeah, he's gonna go home, but with a brand new life in front of him! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Phiew, I thought I'd never make it today. between my trip to IKEA this morning - to buy things for my brother's wedding decoration - and the last youth group night before summer holiday, I thought I wouldn't have the time to write. but I made it, yay! ;-) so, this is for you, lovely readers *blows a kiss* hope you like it.  
**

 ** _Chapter 22_**

Friday evening, after the _Report_ and dinner, was spent outside by the swimming pool. I needed some relaxing and refreshing time after being cooped up in the overheated studio. The water was most welcome. I ignored the boys for most of the time. If they wanted to stay, they could, and if they wanted to be alone, it was their choice. I also wanted to observe them to see if there was any tension growing between them. But I was pretty sure they wouldn't show any if I was around.

On Saturday, I tried to take some time alone to think about all that had transpired these past few days. So many things happened since the beginning of the Selection, it felt like months! But it was only three weeks. In some way, it was going really fast, but I realised during the _Report_ that I still had more than half of the boys to get to know better. The visits would help to do that.

I was roaming the halls, lost in my own thoughts, when I almost bumped into Matt and Kurt. Matt was adjusting a brand new frock-coat on Kurt.

"Oh my, Matt! Did you make a habit of clothing everyone here?" I teased him.

He chuckled. "No, only you, Justin and Kurt, for know. I'm making the most of the sewing room here."

"I can see that! It's great, Matt!"

A lot of little scraps were scattered on the floor all around them, and Matt was careful to put them back in a bag. "What are you going to do with those? They're too small to do anything, aren't they?"

"Oh, no. You can do a lot of things with small scraps. I have scraps from your dress, from Justin's shirt and Kurt's frock-coat, and I've started to make a patchwork quilt, a souvenir of this Selection."

"Great idea, Matt. I can't wait to see it." I turned to Kurt. "You look very handsome in this coat, Kurt."

He nodded. "Thank you, Rosaline."

"Well, have a nice day." I walked away and followed the sound of the piano, which led me to the music room where I had learned to dance with Al. I didn't remember any form talking about piano playing. I listened behind the door, not wanting to disturb whoever it was. Then he started to sing, and I immediately recognized his voice. He was singing a song from Les Misérables. I listened until the song was over, then I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He said, not knowing it was me.

I opened the door and peeked inside. "Can I come in?"

He grinned widely. "Sure you can."

"I didn't know you could play like that. I thought DJs only knew how to make digital music."

He chuckled and invited me to sit next to him on the piano seat. "Well, before becoming a DJ, I played the piano and sang. Then I discovered the party scene. I still play from time to time."

"It was from Les Misérables, wasn't it?"

"Yep. You like it?"

"Yeah. Although I can't say it's my favourite, but you sang it beautifully."

"Thanks." he said, playing a chord.

"Nigel, I need to ask you something."

"All right. Go ahead."

"Why is it that when there's only you and me you're sweet and loving and all, but as soon as we're in a group or you see me with another one of the boys, you become distant and almost angry?"

He sighed. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really. You know, I need to get to know you as much alone as in a group of people."

"Rosaline, it's just getting really hard to see you date the others. I love you. I've never loved someone as much as I love you. And I know this is a Selection, but," he chuckled. "All I want to do is pull them out of your embrace, or even of your life. I want you all to myself. But I have to be patient."

I didn't know what do to with this new information.

"You might as well send me home now if you know I'm not going to be one of your last top choices. It'll save my heart from breaking too hard in the future, because I love you more with each passing day."

"I'm not sending you home. I just want you to make an effort when we're in a group. You know, whoever I choose at the end won't really have me for himself. The country basically owns me. My life is dedicated to Illéa. Whoever I choose will have to share me with advisors, counsellors, visitors, and a bunch of other people and projects."

"I know..." he said in a small voice.

"You said you wanted to settle down and start a family. Well, I can guarantee you that being Prince is not really settling down. I won't be a stay-at-home mom who waits for your return from work every evening. I'm going to be the next Queen. The Prince will be waiting for me after _my_ day of work, every single day, even on the weekends. So if you can imagine that kind of life, please make an effort in groups." I paused a few seconds. "I really don't want to send you home now."

He took my hand. "I'll make an effort, I promise." he squeezed my fingers in his. "Can I kiss you?"

I smiled slyly. "Why do you ask? You just have to-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence, because he silenced me with a kiss. Man, I loved his kissed. Gentle at first, like to make sure I'm not going anywhere, and then a little bit harder, until we are both totally oblivious to our surroundings, paying attention only to each-other's lips and touch. My heart beat a little faster and after a minute, I broke our kiss, my gaze lost in his cognac eyes. How did he always manage to make me forget about everyone else in the Selection?

After that, I managed to wiggle myself away and spent the rest of the day with my Father, cooped up in his office, preparing Monday's visit in Tammins.

Sunday was pretty uneventful, beside the fact that I had my three hour beauty session, because I wouldn't have had the time on Monday.

Monday morning, I got up early, a dawn, to get ready. "Anna, what do you think I should wear? A dress or some pants?"

"I think you should go with the dress, My Lady. These men don't have much opportunity to see lovely women such as you."

"Maybe you're right." I chose a simple old rose sleeveless A-line 50's dress, paired with white heels, a white hat with a ribbon the same colour of my dress and white pearl jewels. At eight o'clock, we were all in the Limo heading to the airport. Jerad, Logan and Micheal were coming with me. They were all wearing casual – but still elegant – clothes, which pleased Micheal, because he didn't like fancy clothes.

"Are you nervous?" Michael asked me.

I inhaled. "A little bit, yeah. I've never done this before. I've never set foot in a prison. I've seen Father sentence men to years in jail, but I have never done it. Yet. I'll have to do it when I'm Queen, though, and that's one thing I'm really not looking forward to do, to be honest."

"Why not?" Jerad asked. "Criminals deserve to be punished. It's safer for everyone to have them behind bars."

"I know." I looked out the window. "But think of their families left alone to fend for themselves. Think of the wives and the children."

"Your heart is too gentle, Rosaline." Michael smiled at me. "In order to be Queen, maybe you'll need to harden it a little."

I sighed. "I know that. It's going to be yet another hard task for me, if not the hardest."

Everyone fell silent. Logan was avoiding the conversation and looking out the window. After a few minutes, we arrived at the airport. The Limo drove all the way next to the plane waiting for us on the tarmac. It would be a flight just over an hour long. The TV crew was already there, posting cameras and waiting for us.

As the plane neared its destination, my heart beat a little bit faster and I focused on breathing. I closed my eyes and gripped my arm rests. I felt a hand talking hold of mine, and when I opened my eyes, I saw it was Logan.

"You're not afraid of this visit, Logan?" I whispered.

He leaned closer to me, so I would be the only one to hear. "Terrified."

I looked at him more closely, and I could see the terror in his hazel eyes. Why did I take him along? As a War Veteran, he had seen so many prisons. I was suddenly afraid he would have a PTSD attack in the Prison.

"Logan, if you don't feel like coming, feel free to stay in the plane. You got air-conditioning here..."

"No, I want to come."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He seemed determined.

The airplane landed and we all walked out and went in another Limo, who drove us to the Prison. General Finlee was with us the whole way, not saying a word.

When we arrived, I saw the black and gray building, bars at every window and barbed wire on the outside walls and all around the perimeter. It made my heart quicken. But I knew I would be on camera soon so I plastered again my PhD Master smile on my lips and slipped out of the car, very ladylike, I was proud of myself.

As we walked to the entrance, Micheal whispered to me: "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" I whispered back.

"One minute you're terrified, and the next you're smiling as if this is the best thing you've ever done in your life?"

"Practice, Michael. Practice."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll have to practice, then."

"Your Majesty." The Prison Director, Commander Olsen, bowed low in front of us. "Welcome. The men know of your coming and are eager to meet you."

"As I am, Commander Olsen." I looked at the boys behind me. "We all are."

"Very well. If you will follow me, please." We followed the man inside. I was surprised to see how clean the inside of the building was. I had a darker image of prisons in my mind. I had imagined something like a dungeon. But this building was pretty modern all-in-all. Commander Olsen led us to one of the Wings of the edifice. He stayed in the door frame and let us go in. camera men were following right behind us, not wanting to loose anything that would be said.

We were in a long corridor lined with cells for only one man in each. I quickly counted ten on each side. I started on my left and saw a young man – not much older than me – sitting on his cot, glaring at me with a very unkind stare.

"Hello," I tried. But he just stared at me, ignoring me. Then he reclined on his cot and pretended to go to sleep. Well, this was an awkward start. I walked to the second cell. This time, the man was waiting for me, close to the bars.

"Don't mind him, Your Majesty. He hasn't said a single word since he came here two years ago. Don't take it personally." He smiled. I looked back at the first cell.

"All right." I extended my hand through the bars to shake his hand. He gladly took it, but instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of it. "It's an honour for me to meet you, Your Majesty."

"The Honour is mine, mister...?"

"Kaile. John Kaile."

"Mister Kaile."

I went to the next cell, and I was warmly welcomed again. Breathing was a bit easier by the minute. When I arrived at the sixth cell, the guy had a very creepy smile, but I didn't want to show I was a tiny bit afraid. I extended my hand through the bars, and he took it. He pulled hard on my arm, making me smash my face against the bars.

"How does that feel, Your Majesty?" he said in a slimy voice.

Jerad was the first one to react. "Hey! Let go of the Princess!"

The prisoner looked at Jerad. "You can't do anything about it, now. I'm holding your precious whore's hand in _my_ cell."

"Watch your mouth, you filthy bastard!" Jerad exploded. He really amazed me more and more. The quiet guy standing up for me? Wow. Too bad he had a crush on my sister. My face was still pressed against the bars, and my hat had fallen to the ground.

I mustered all the courage I could find in me. "Mister, what do you want from me?"

"I just want to see you suffer for once. You're a perfect little snob who has no idea what life really is. Just because you're above the law, doesn't mean you can come teasing us, mere mortals behind bars. You're such a worthless bi-"

"That's enough Lucius!" called another prisoner some cells away. "You know very well she's not above it: she _is_ the Law."

"Shut up, Tanner! Don't defend her! She's the one who put us behind bars."

"No she isn't." This Tanner replied. "You're the one who murdered your wife, Lucius. Not her. You deserve to be behind bars."

"Ha! Because you don't deserve this, TRAITOR?"

My breath was coming out fast and in small gasps. This man who was holding my hand tightly had killed his wife? I was going to be sick. I pulled with all my strength my hand away, and it slipped between his fingers, thanks to his sweaty hands. I quickly hugged myself and forced myself not to run away. I still had other prisoners to see. I had a job to do, and I would do it. But instead of stopping in front of the next cell – I just nodded and smiled to the prisoner – I walked to Tanner's cell. I had to see who had tried to defend myself.

But when I saw him, my heart skipped a beat. I looked back at Logan, then at Tanner, then back at Logan, and then back at Tanner: the resemblance was uncanny. But before I could say anything or ask anything, Logan stepped in between the man and me.

"Rosaline, this is my father." he said in a firm but quiet voice.

I just stared at him. Michael spoke for me. "How is this possible? We all had background checks. How is it that your father is a criminal and no one new about it?"

"He's not a criminal." Logan plainly stated.

I finally found my voice again. "Then how come is he here, Logan?"

He locked eyes with me. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

I thought for a minute. "Yes, but let me just finish meeting the men in this Wing." he nodded and I resumed my 'hellos', not shaking hands with any of them anymore; my cheeks were still a bit sore from the metal bars. When I was finished, I asked Commander Olsen to give us a private room where I could talk with Logan and General Finlee in private. Jerad and Michael resumed the visit without me.

When we were secured behind a closed door – and without the TV crew who was with the two other boys – I asked Logan to tell me what was going on.

He inhaled deeply before starting his story. He looked at General Finlee. "Does he have to be here?"

"I'm afraid so, yes." I answered.

"Fine. Well, it all started five years ago – I was seventeen – when my father was suspected of dealings with the Rebels and thrown into jail for life, or until the accusation was proven, and he would then be executed. I truly believed he is innocent. But at seventeen, I couldn't say anything. So, on my eighteenth birthday, I volunteered for war in an attempt to regain some of my family's respectability, and show everyone that we were not Rebels." he paused, thinking. "When I came back after my four years of service in the army, I hoped to be able to free my father. My being in the war, defending my country and risking my life countless times apparently wasn't enough to show that my family would never deal with the Rebels." He stopped, and finally made eye-contact with me. "To be honest, Rosaline, the only reason why I put my name in the Selection was to see if perhaps I could convince you to help me free my father. You see, my mother died ten years ago, and I have a little sister, her name is Grace. Since our father was in prison, I was practically her father, but I had to leave her to save her actual father. Quite ironic, isn't it?"

I felt a tear stream down my cheek. His story tugged at my heart. But the law was the law. "Logan, I don't know if I can do anything about your father. If he's been suspected to have helped the Rebels, the King will never agree to let him go. I can maybe have his execution stopped, but not his prison life sentence. I can't promise you anything."

His head fell in his hands and he sighed. "I know. It was a desperate move, I guess."

"Logan, listen to me." He lifted his head. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this story. I have no idea what will be the outcome, but I'll try to make it something easier for you and your sister, okay?"

He nodded. "Thank you. Even if you can't do anything, at least try."

"I will, I promise."

After that, we found Jerad and Michael and we resumed the visit together. I wasn't really focused, though. Logan's story kept replaying in my mind. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he had been through to save his father and his sister. But when you're fighting in your own backyard, when you're fighting for your family, it hurts a little less and makes a little more sense, I guess.

When the visits were over, we headed back to the plane and ate a late lunch. I was eager to go back home and find the security of the Palace walls. When I suggested the visits to my Father, I had no idea it would be this hard. But maybe Micheal was right: I needed to harden my heart a bit. But I was afraid that if I did that, it would do the opposite of what I was trying to do – taking the wall down, one brick at a time.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! here's another chapter for you lovely readers/fans ;-) thanks for following me still, I hope this story is not getting too boring... but I don't think so^^  
**

 **Sorry if I still haven't gotten to all the boys yet, but I'm gently coming to it... here are three that we haven't seen much yet ;-)**

 ** _Chapter 23_**

When we came back home that afternoon, the Edit group went immediately to work: they wanted to air the visit as soon as possible. I didn't bother going to Father's office that day, because that visit had given me enough to think about. What on earth happened? How come nobody knew Logan's father was in jail? But before talking to Father about it, I needed to think carefully of what I wanted to tell him. I went outside, in the gardens. The outsides always helped me think better. I followed the gravel path without really thinking of where I was going, and I found myself near the pond. I smiled to myself, because, unconsciously I went to my favourite place.

I slipped my shoes off and sat on a big rock, plunging my toes in the water. I closed my eyes and let the noises – birds, frogs, the wind in the tree leaves, the high grass dancing around me – guide me. I stayed a few minutes like this, unable to do much more.

"Rosaline?"

I opened my eyes and turned my head to see who was talking. "Oh, hello Justin."

He had a big leatherback notebook under his arms and a few pencils peeking out from his pockets. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He pointed to a rock not far away from mine.

"No, not at all."

"When I saw Hunter's pictures of this place, I wanted to see it for myself."

"And, what do you think?" I asked, smiling.

"It's beautiful, just as much as his pictures. He really has an eye for the extraordinary in the ordinary, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does. Did you tell him that? Because he doesn't believe in himself. He thinks he's not good enough."

"Oh, no he isn't. And I'll make sure to tell him that." He opened his leather book and started to sketch a few things.

"Yes, please do."

"How did the visit go this morning?" He still had his eyes on his drawings.

"I wish I could say it went well." I sighed.

"Oh no, what happened?" He looked at me with a concerned frown on his face.

I shrugged. "I guess you'll see the footage soon enough. I got insulted by a couple of the prisoners and, well, I don't really want to talk about it right now, it's too fresh in my memory. I need to think a bit about what happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You'll see the footage."

"All right." He resumed drawing. Then he looked at me again, a slight grin illuminating his blue eyes. "Can I draw you?"

"Oh, um, sure. How do you want to draw me?"

"Exactly how you were when I came: eyes closed, meditative, your feet in the water."

"All right." I tried to position myself like I was. "Like that?"

"Perfect. Now don't move, and continue your thinking, don't mind me."

I smiled and let him work for some time. But my mind wouldn't concentrate on Logan's story or anything else. It kept wondering here and there, guided by the frogs – which made me laugh, because now I assimilate frogs with falling in the pond – and the crickets, and the birds, and the wind.

"Justin?"

"Mh?"

"How come you're an artist when you're a Two?"

"Well, I grew up as a Five actually. My father passed away when I was twelve, and my mother remarried a Two. I would had preferred to stay a Five, you know? Art was all I knew to do. But when we became Twos a few years later, I had to choose a new Career. I couldn't think of anything else than doing a hobby of mine: basketball. So I signed up in the local team - don't look at me, close your eyes, Rosaline."

"Oops, sorry." I repositioned myself.

"So, I signed up in the local team and started training. I'm tall – 6'55'' – so it was easy for me. In a couple years, I became the best on my team, and the Angeles' Head Coach noticed me and offered me to play for his team. And I did. So now I'm a professional basketball player, always trying to find time to draw – in secret. If my coach knew this, he'd fire me for sure."

"Oh no. Why?" I frowned.

"Don't frown; I'm drawing your face, now." He sighed. "Because Twos don't do art."

"This is stupid. But then how can Andreas be a Clown Doctor if he's a Three?"

Justin chuckled. "Because that's a voluntary work. Anyone can do it if it doesn't interfere with their job."

"Oh. But he said he was going to quit his job."

"Yeah, well, he'll still need money to live. Maybe he's going to work only part-time so he can volunteer." I heard his pencil work fast on the paper. "Okay, I'm done."

I opened my eyes and took the book he was handing to me. "Oh wow! This is amazing. You're really talented!" I gazed at the drawing.

He grinned. "Thanks. I'm not sure if I want to put colour to it, though."

"Hmm. Maybe a hint here and there just to brighten it up?"

He took the book back and gazed at his work. "Yeah. Maybe I can put colour to the dress, it would make you stand out from the picture." He pulled out a leather pencil case and started to colour the dress. I watched him work from over his shoulder. His drawing was amazingly accurate. When he finished, he ripped the page from his book, dated and signed the drawing and gave it to me.

"Really? You're giving it to me?"

He shrugged, a grin on his lips, his blue eyes full of kindness, and his blond hair dancing in the slight breeze. "Yeah. You were my muse today."

We both walked back to the Palace, it was time for me to get ready for dinner. I headed to my room, took a quick shower and slipped into a light gray cowl-neck sleeveless evening gown. I went down the stairs and encountered Tristan, who was coming out of his room.

"Good evening Tristan." I smiled and nodded in his direction.

"Good evening, Rosaline." He took my hand, kissed the back of it, and wrapped it around his arm. We walked together to the Dining Room.

"Oh. You look beautiful, tonight. You always do, but this dress really makes you look divine."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We entered the Dining Room. He walked me to my table, but before letting go of my hand, he whispered to me. "Is there any chance we could spend some time tonight together? Maybe a stroll in the gardens or something?"

I looked at his ice blue eyes and smiled. "I'd like that very much."

"Good, I'll see you later, then." He kissed the back of my hand and walked away.

Dinner was good, as always, but when I thought about those prisoners and what they ate, I felt guilty about my caviar and smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres. My appetite went away and all I did was pretend to eat by pushing my food around in my plate with my silver fork.

Kate-Lyn nudged me. "You alright?"

"Yeah." I smiled and ate a small piece of the salmon. "Have you gotten to know Adam better?"

She blushed a little. "Yeah, a little bit."

"And?"

"Nothing has changed..." She smiled slyly and resumed eating.

"What do you mean 'nothing has changed'?"

"I still love him, that's all."

"Oh. Well, good for you. At least you don't have to choose between twenty guys."

We both giggled and waited for the next dish.

After dinner, Tristan was waiting for me outside the Dining Room. I walked in his direction and took his arm. He led me to the Garden doors – it felt good to be asked out and led, for once – and we slowly walked aimlessly, enjoying the warm evening air. Dinner seldom lasted less than two or three hours, so it was already quite late. The sun was going down, and the sky was changing to purple and pink and orange.

"Dusk is always my favourite part of the day." I said, looking at the sky.

"Why?"

"Because in a matter of minutes the sky changes in so many different colours, and the air gets cooler, too. It feels good after a too warm long day."

He chuckled. "Well, I prefer dawn because it's when the air is the coolest, and it's the perfect time to go for a run: you encounter no one, and the heat of the day is not at its fullest."

"You like to run?"

"Yeah, it clears my head off from my father's politics."

"I can totally understand that." I said, nodding.

We walked for a few minutes without saying anything, letting the crickets sing their evening song and the fireflies illuminate the path in front of us.

I yawned. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."

He chuckled. "Don't be. You've had a long and exhausting day. Would you like to sit down for a little while?" He motioned to the stone bench a few yards away.

"Yeah, maybe. Thank you for understanding."

He smiled and sat next to me, careful not to sit on my skirt.

"You know, with me you are free to be yourself, and I will always put you first." He put a strand of hair that flew away from my hairdo and placed it behind my ear. His icy blue eyes shone bright in the near darkness of the coming night. I leaned in closer and brushed my lips with his, kissing him gently. But I broke away shortly after.

I looked at my lap. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." I say, a bit shamefully.

"You're right. I should have." He lifted my chin with his fingers and kissed me, making me feel like the most precious thing on earth. His hand found my neck and his thumb gently rubbed my skin, burning it with his touch. A warm feeling erupted in my stomach and spread to my limbs and cheeks. He broke away, locking his eyes with mine, and smiled a dashing smile.

I giggled softly and rested my head on his shoulder, while he wrapped an arm around mine.

"I don't know how I can keep up with this."

"With what?"

"Ruling the country with Father, holding my Selection and doing those visits, all at the same time. I do so many different things each day, I feel like they last three days. But then I look at the time, and I did so many things in under fifteen hours."

He chuckled softly, rubbing my arm with his thumb. "No wonder you're exhausted. You should have gone to bed tonight and not accept my selfish invitation."

"On the contrary. It was a welcomed change to actually have one of you guys asking me out instead of me asking you out. I feel like a normal girl, right now."

"Good. Because that's how I want you to be with me: free, and wild, and yourself. Not a Princess who has days too short for everything she wants to do." My eyes were closed but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." I mumbled against his shoulder.

"You know, maybe you should go to bed and take the day off tomorrow."

"Mmh. Maybe." I had a feeling that if I stayed longer I could easily fall asleep right there.

I felt him sweep me up in his arms and walk back to the Palace.

"You don't have to do this Tristan, I can walk." I mumbled.

"No you can't, my dear. You can barely hold your head up. Lean your head on me and let me take you to your room."

I obeyed, too tired to do anything else. I doze off a few times before realizing I was in my nightgown in my bed. I didn't even try to remember how I got there. I just let myself fall in Morpheus' arms until morning. But when Anna woke me up, I saw it was nine o'clock.

"Anna! Why did you let me sleep this long?"

"Sir Tristan asked that you sleep in this morning. And I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist his beautiful eyes, My Lady." Her cheeks were warming.

I shook my head and smiled mischievously. "Neither could I, Anna, neither could I."

She giggled. "It was so romantic how he carried you all the way up here! You were sleeping so peacefully in his arms, you didn't even move when he laid you down and kissed your hairline, My Lady. Then he went away and I helped you out of your gown and into your nightgown."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Anna. It must have been hard to undress me while sleeping."

"Well, actually-"

"Please don't tell me Tristan helped you do that." I felt my cheeks redden.

She laughed. "Oh, no! Don't worry. You helped unconsciously, My Lady. It was really funny, to be honest. It was like dressing up a full size doll who obeyed every command like 'lift your arms' or 'stand up'."

I had to laugh with her. "I have no memory of last night. I wonder if there wasn't something in my drink." Then it hit me. "I know why, Anna! I hardly ate, but I drank some wine. One or two glasses, I can't say, though." I rubbed my forehead.

"Oh. The footage of the visit is airing this evening. Everyone is requested to watch it, My Lady."

I whined. "Nooo. I don't want to see this. It was a disaster."

"I'm sure it wasn't, My Lady."

"Oh yes it was, Anna."

Anna had some breakfast brought to my room and I ate in my nightgown. I took the morning off, just like Tristan had suggested. But then I would have to work with Father this afternoon, and watch that wretched footage. Ugh.

After lunch I worked with Father. I still wasn't sure if I should break the news to him – the one about Logan's father being in prison – before the airing tonight, or if I should wait because I had no idea what would be in that footage. I was very nervous. I counted on our TV crew to be kind in their choosing of footage, so I still didn't say anything. Besides, I needed to get to know more about Logan before saying anything.

At six o'clock Angeles time, the footage aired. We were all in the Studio, sitting where the audience normally sits and gazing at a huge screen. I had to sit in the middle front row to watch this first hand. I was seriously dreading the whole thing.

We all watched dumbfounded. They didn't miss anything from mister Kaile, to Lucius and Tanner, and to the fact that Jerad and Michael were alone, presuming that I was talking with Logan. It was a complete disaster. As soon as it was finished, I rushed to my room, avoiding everyone, and locking the door. I ordered dinner in the privacy of my room, but didn't eat much. How could I when I had made a complete idiot of myself for the whole country to see?

I went to bed early, but it took hours for me to find sleep. Finally, after turning and tossing for hours, I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning with Kate and Maggie curled up in my bed against me. I must have slept really soundly to not hear them come. When I moved, they both woke up, too.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Maggie asked with her tiny sleepy voice.

"Yeah, Honey. I'm alright. I just have to deal with my stupidity, that's all."

"Rose, what happened in that Prison is not your fault. And the TV crew are assholes to have shown everything. They should have chosen only the best parts and certainly not show Logan's father. It was cruel. Father fired them last night. You'll have a new TV crew and we'll get to see the footage before it airs."

"We should have done that before."

"Yeah. But it's too late now, the harm is done."

I sighed and braced myself for the day. I put the simplest and colourless dress I owned, in order to erase myself among everyone else in the Palace. We went down to breakfast and I slipped out as soon as I was finished, ignoring the concerned gazes of the young men directed at me. I swiftly walked to Father's office and slumped in a chair, waiting for him. He came in not to minutes later, a frown on his face.

"Rose, I'm terribly sorry for what happened. You'll have a new crew with you next time and-"

"I know. Kate told me."

He was about to hug me, when Lady Cora entered, a stack of newspapers and magazines in her arms, which she dumped on my desk one at a time. I read the headlines as they appeared.

 _'A criminal among the Selected!'_

 _'The Princess is weak'_

 _'Useless Campaign'_

 _'What is she trying to prove?'_

And on and on it went. I took the last magazine she dropped on the desk and walked away as much ladylike as I could and ended up in the Music Room. I closed the door behind me and sat on one of the windowsills to have some light. I read the article until the words were blurry and I couldn't see anymore. I let myself cry and looked out the window, where the sun was shining. Didn't he know that I was having a bad day? Couldn't he just hide behind a cloud and cry with me?

I cried silently for I-don't-know-how-long.

Then, the door opened and Westley came in, his violin case in one hand. He turned the lights on and put his case on a couch. He opened it and took out his instrument and tuned it. I made myself as small and silent as I could. But I didn't see the magazine slip and it fell on the ground, making Westley and I jump at the same time.

"Jeeze! Rosaline, you scared me! What are you-" My eyes were probably red and my cheeks were wet. I'm afraid he saw that, because he looked intently at me and a concerned frown appeared on his face. "What's wrong, Rosaline?"

He stepped closer to me and sat on the other side of the windowsill. I motioned the magazine on the floor. It had fallen open-faced down on the article's page. He took the magazine and read out loud.

" _SELFISH CAMPAIGN!_

 _"_ _When the Princess told us her heart beat with ours, we had no idea she had all this campaign in her mind. But what is this campaign of hers doing more than just showing her off? All she wants is people to look at her. She's sending a message to us: 'Look at me! Look how pretty I am! And look how I do good deeds. No monarch has never thought of this before me, I'm the best, and I'm going to be your Queen soon!'_

 _"_ _This is the most selfish act a monarch has ever done. Good deeds are supposed to go unnoticed, right? There's a proverb that says 'Don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, only the heart should know.' But here, The Selfish Snobby Princess shows the whole world what her two hands are doing! What is more selfish than that?_

 _"_ _Princess, you wanted to win us to your cause? Well, you'll have to try something else. Illéa will not welcome you kindly as his Queen..."_

"Ouch." Westley said. "Rosaline, I'm so sorry."

I couldn't hold it anymore. I sobbed and hid my head in my hands. Westley sat close to me and wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, slightly rocking back and forth. I abandoned myself to his embrace and sobbed on his shirt. After maybe five minutes – or was is two? Or ten? I don't know – I dried my cheeks and backed slightly away.

An awkward chuckle escaped my throat. "I ruined your shirt, I'm sorry." There was eyeliner, and mascara, and eye shadow smudged all over his chest.

He chuckled, too. "Don't worry about that. I have like fifty of those in my closet."

I wanted to laugh at that, but instead, a sob came out, and I lost it again. And again he held me close. "Go ahead, Rose. You can cry."

"Why is this happening?" I managed to hiccup between sobs. "Why is this backfiring on me?"

"I don't know, darling. No one saw it coming, not even the King's advisors."

"I don't know what to do anymore..." I was still sobbing against his chest. It felt good to be held like that. "I don't want to continue this stupid campaign, anymore."

"No, you can't do that. Look. This article is not what every single person thinks, okay? It's only some stupid journalist among hundreds of others."

"You don't understand." I said backing away to look at his dark green eyes. "Every single newspaper and magazine in the country says practically the same thing."

"Oh." He frowned. "All of them? Are you sure?"

I shrugged. "Lady Cora brought like twenty of them."

"Darling, listen to me." He gently took hold of my shoulders and made eye contact with me. "There are dozens of other magazines in Illéa. Don't let this pull you down."

I inhaled deeply, and exhaled very slowly, trying to calm down. He hugged me close again. "You know what?" I shook my head against his shoulder. "Continue doing those visits, but don't take a TV crew with you. Just go as yourself, with only the boys you bring along, and the people you visit. And don't just say 'hi, how are you, what's your name?'. Spend the day with them. For example, if you decide to visit an Old Women's Knitting Club, sit with them, drink tea with them, and let them teach you how to knit. Try being in their shoes for the day."

I backed away again, looking at him. "Where have you been all this time, Westley?" I said in awe.

He smiled slyly. "Right here, darling."

I chuckled. "I'm going to do exactly what you said. I don't know why we didn't do it like this before, but it was more like this that I had imagined it, to be honest. I just needed you to word my idea in the most perfect way." I smiled and took his hands in mine. "Thank you."

"Any time, Rosaline."

I leaned in close to him to whisper in his ear. "I like it when you call me 'darling'. But only in private."

"I'll remember that, darling." he said, kissing me lightly. "And don't forget you'll always have two shoulders on which you can cry, and you can ruin all the shirts you want." he added, chuckling.

We stayed cuddled close to each other for a long moment more on that uncomfortable windowsill. I had comforted him in a situation of despair, once, and he had done it for me, too. I felt a strong bond linking us, now.


	25. Chapter 25

**OMG, we just passed the 100 reviews on this story. THANK YOU SO MUCH! you guys are amazing, I can't even... wow! =D  
**

 ** _Chapter 24_**

After my sobbing outburst of the morning, I tried to pull myself together in the afternoon. I was working in my room, the windows and the door opened to have the air flow in the room.

"Rose!" someone called from a distance.

"Rose!" Closer this time. Was that Jerad?

"Rose!" Jerad peeked his head in my room. "Rose? I know I'm not supposed to come up here, but you need to come."

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

Jerad was breathless. "It's Logan. He's loosing it."

"What happened?" I was starting to panic. "PTSD?"

He talked fast. "No, I don't think so. He's rambling something about not being a criminal, or something like that. He's throwing things in his room, breaking stuff. I don't know what to do!"

"I'm coming." I turned to a guard in the hall. "Get the King, please."

He bowed. "Right away, Your Highness." And he ran away while Jerad and I ran down the stairs – now was not a good time to spring my ankle. Jerad led the way to Logan's room, but with all the noise coming from it, I could have found it without a problem.

The door was ajar and I looked inside. Michael was trying to calm Logan down, and Logan was in complete havoc. I pushed the door opened and entered, Jerad just behind me.

"Logan, what happened?" I tried to use my softest and kindest voice I could muster in this situation.

"I am NOT a criminal!" he yelled at me.

"I know you're not, Logan. What makes you say that?"

He grabbed a magazine on the floor and looked for a certain page. "This!"

I read the headline: _'A Criminal in the Palace?!'_ Oh no.

"Do you honestly think I would volunteer for the War and risk my life to help save the country if I was a Rebel? If my father was a Rebel?" He ripped opened his shirt, revealing a gruesome scar on his right shoulder. "You see this?" Father came in just then. "I almost died of this wound! There was no hospital were we were, and I had to take the bullet out myself, and it got infected." He tore off his shirt. "And you see that?" He pointed to yet another scar in his abdomen. "I was stabbed here, and again, almost died. Do you think a Rebel would do that for his country? NO! Because I am NOT. A. REBEL! I am a war hero!"

"Okay, Logan. Calm down, we're going to talk about this now." Father said. Then he turned to Jerad and Michael. "Gentlemen, thank you for your help, but I'd like to talk with Logan and Rosaline alone."

"Yes, Your Majesty." they said in chorus, and left the room. Father closed the door and invited us to sit anywhere we could. Logan, shirtless and a bit out of breath, sat on his bed; I turned a chair over and Father sat on the desk.

"Okay, now let's start from the beginning, Logan."

Logan looked at Father, and I could see fear in his hazel eyes. But he didn't answer.

"Look, I'm here to help. I want to find a solution to this. So if you just tell me everything you know, it will help me help you."

Logan sighed. "All right." He glanced at me, and I smiled encouragingly. "It all started six years ago. A friend of my father arrived home one evening, asking if we could shelter him for the night and give him food. He was on a journey; something had held him back and he couldn't make it to his destination in time. And with curfew and all, he couldn't travel by night, at the risk of being put in jail for a couple days or paying a fine. So we sheltered him, like any friend would do for another friend." He paused a few seconds, thinking of what to say next. "Two days later, a bunch of guards raided our house and took father away, not even saying why they were taking him away. They tortured him because they wanted information on that guy we had sheltered. But we knew nothing. He hadn't said anything to us. But they were sure father knew something and they tortured him for days on end, trying to pull all he knew out. But he knew nothing."

Logan shuddered without his shirt. He hugged himself and resumed his story. "We didn't have any news of where he was or if he was even alive. But a few weeks later, we got a note from him, telling us he was in the Tammins' Men's Prison. I immediately went to see him. He told me we had helped a Rebel flee by sheltering and feeding him. But we had no idea. He told me the government wanted to make an example of him: this is what happens to people who help the Rebels. Prison. And death. Father is sentenced to his execution next month." He sighed. "I was seventeen, at the time. I couldn't say anything. So when I turned eighteen, I signed up for the war. I wanted to show that the Castle family are not Rebels. What Rebel would risk his life countless times for his country? But it didn't help. When I came back, they thanked me for my service, but that's all. I was hoping I could show my father was not a Rebel, but it didn't work." He was silent for some time. But neither Father nor I talked. This was a lot to take in.

But Logan was not finished. "My mother died ten years ago, so it's me and my little sister, and our father in jail, killed in a month." He looked at his King. "The only reason why I put my name in the Selection was because I wanted to try to convince the Princess that my father was innocent, and she would convince you, then, to free him. It was an act of despair, but on which I desperately counted. I want my little sister to have a parent. Her mother is gone, and she only has me."

I dried a tear that I didn't notice had streamed down my cheek. Father was pacing up and down in the room, thinking about all what Logan had said. "Son. I believe your story. I had no idea this had happened. When we checked your background, we only found that you were a War Hero." He scratched his chin. "This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to have your father brought here in Angeles. He will be interrogated – not tortured, I promise – because I want to hear his side of the story. I'm going to have the best detectives do it and have them use a lie detector during the interrogation. If he comes out clean, I'll free him."

Logan's shoulder's fell, but anticipation could be read on his face. "When?"

"As soon as possible."

He fell on his knees in front of my Father. "Thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Stand up, Logan. I'm not a god." He grabbed him by the arm and helped him stand up, his cheeks wet from happy tears.

"He's not free, yet, son. He'll have to pass the lie detectors."

"I know, but it's something new." He put his shirt back on and stood near the window, gazing outside, not wanting us to see him cry. Father silently walked out, but I didn't want to leave him alone now. I stayed on my chair and waited for him to turn around.

"Are you going to be alright, Logan?"

He turned around and smiled. That was something I hadn't seen since he was here. "I couldn't be better right now. I'll be perfectly happy when dad is freed. How will I ever thank you, Rosaline?"

"I didn't do anything, you know? You just told your story to the King. He's the one to take this kind of decision. I couldn't have done it better than you did."

"Well, if he passes the test, I'll be forever indebted to you." He kneeled on the floor next to my chair, taking my hands in his. Was it just me, or did the dullness in his eyes lessen? "I won't tell anything to Grace for now. I don't want to get her hopes up and then see them tumble and break her again."

"Logan, if there's anything else I can do for you, you let me know, okay?"

He nodded. "Can I have something now?"

I chuckled. I had a feeling he wanted a kiss from me. "What's that?"

"Can I have a hug?"

I laughed and stood at the same time he did. "Of course you can." I said embracing him. He pulled me close. I don't know when was the last time he had a hug – aside from his sister or Maggie, maybe – and I definitely agreed he needed and deserved one.

He was the first one to break the hug. "Thank you, I needed it."

"You sure did, Logan." I planted a kiss on his cheek and walked away, leaving him the privacy to take in the new information. I walked back up the stairs to Father's office. He was in his favourite armchair, gazing outside the window.

"Thank you, Father."

"What else did you want me to do, Rosaline? This was bringing bad publicity to us and you with the Selection. I had no idea the campaign would backfire like it did. At least this will show the Illéans that we recognize when we do a mistake, which, in this case, was putting a man in jail without any proof. But before any of this gets out, I want to hear his side of the story."

"Of course, Father. It would totally be a disaster if anyone knew anything before the interrogation. I'll let Logan know not to talk about this with the others. I'll go right now." He nodded and I left his office, going back to Logan's room.

I knocked. "Come in!"

I entered and closed the door behind me. "Logan, I just talked with Father." I told him what we had said, and he agreed. I thanked him and we walked together down to the Dining Room, because it was time for Lunch. He sat at his table and me at mine. Jerad and Michael talked with Logan, probably making sure he was okay, now. I was glad they were with him when it happened, because they had witnessed first-hand the Prison scene.

Lunch was loud again. I wondered what the boys were talking about. It seemed there were two or three different groups and they were not agreeing with each other, but I couldn't guess at what it was.

I walked out of the room when dinner was over, and called Markus, who was already walking up the stairs.

"Yes, Your Hi- Rosaline?" He quickly corrected his mistake, smiling slyly.

I lifted an eyebrow. "That was a close call, Markus."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could spend some time together soon.

"I'd be delighted." He said eagerly.

"Great! What would you prefer: this afternoon? This evening? Tomorrow?"

"Why not this afternoon?"

"Okay. Are you ready right now, or did you need to do something else first?"

"Nope. I was just going in my room to take a nap, but it can wait."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Having a date with the Princess is much better than napping, to be honest. Besides, I can never fall fully asleep during the day. So I would just be dozing off and I would be groggy later on. No. Spending time with you is way better." He smiled mischievously and gave me his arm. "Where to, My Lady?"

"Where ever you want. I don't want to make another decision right now. I feel that it's all I'm doing right now."

He smiled warmly. "Very well. Is outside okay?"

"Of course." He led the way and we headed for the Gardens.

"Markus, you're an actor, right?"

"Yep."

"Aaron is, too. I was wondering if you ever were in a movie with him? My movie knowledge is pretty bad." I made an apologetic face.

"Actually, no, we haven't. I've met him a few times at the Oscars or some other gathering, but I never was with him in a movie. It would be fun though. He's a great actor."

"And how did you found yourself in the acting world?" We were following the gravel path, walking really slowly, just enjoying each other's company.

"Um... well, even though we're Twos, we always struggled financially. My mom's job doesn't pay well, so when my dad got a job opportunity at the Palace, he took it."

"Wait. Your father works here? Who is he and where does he work?"

"He's one of the outside guards. His name is Oliver Erikson. Officer Erikson."

I sat on the ground in the shade of a huge willow tree, bewildered by what he had just said. "Did you see him?"

He sat next to me. "Yeah. Every other day or so. We don't see him much at home, only when he's on leave, which happens every three weeks for four days. But that's all."

"I didn't know that." I frowned. How could I not know this? Working three weeks straight was torture. "And so how did you become an actor?"

He leaned on the tree trunk, his hands folded on his stomach. "A few years ago, there was an add in the newspaper for a movie casting. They were looking for a young man with chestnut hair and dark eyes for a new movie. Conor, my twin brother, and I both went, because we knew the money would be welcome. He was – is – a terrible actor, but they chose me among seven hundred other young men. It was incredible! So I started filming and I haven't had a break since. This Selection is very welcome for that." He chuckled. "My brother kind of hates me now."

"Why? Because you got the acting job _and_ got Selected?"

"Exactly. But I wouldn't be too jealous if I were him."

"Why not? I would be." I laughed.

"Because he has a stable job with privacy. I don't. And he's already happily married to an amazing young woman, Katia, who is pregnant with their first child. And I'm here, fighting with twenty other guys for your hand." He chuckled.

"And how are you managing that?" I asked teasingly.

He eyed me. "Hmm. I'm not sure, to be honest. I've never had a girlfriend before, so I have no idea how to love and be loved. And to be honest, Conor made me realize that I have a tendency to reject everyone who comes too close."

I leaned on my hands and crossed my ankles. "Do you know why you do that?"

"I think it's because I'm afraid to have my heart broken. It never happened to me before, so it sounds stupid. It's an irrelevant fear."

"No it's not. Are you afraid of falling in love or afraid of being hurt?"

He looked at me, debating what to answer. "Not sure. But maybe afraid of being hurt."

"Then it's agliophobia. It's not irrelevant."

"Maybe. So if you feel I'm pushing you away, don't be too surprised."

I chuckled. "Okay."

"Oh, and one other thing. I don't know if I have what it takes to be Prince."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I hate being famous, in the sense where I don't have enough privacy. And I know how much of the Royal Family's private life is known to everyone. I didn't think we knew that much. But living here for three weeks and a half with photographers and cameramen looming around us and seeing our faces and actions in the newspapers and on TV the next day is even worse than being an actor. We have paparazzis following us from time to time. But you have them all day long, every single day! How do you do that?"

I sighed. "To be honest, I completely ignore them, but I'm always careful to be smiling all the time and always perfectly well dressed. When I loose it – yes, believe me, I do – I do it behind closed doors, when nobody is watching."

"You loose it? Unbelievable." He shook his head with wide eyes.

"Oh, yes I do. The last time was just this morning."

"I can't even begin to imagine you cry and throw things around a room." he said laughing.

"It's not funny, Markus. Look, I'm trying to open myself to you and talk about things that are hard to talk about, and all you do is make fun of me!" I stood to walk away.

"Rosaline, I'm sorry, come back... I told you I had a tendency to push everyone I liked away."

"Markus, if you're going to push me away, you should go home."

"Please, no." He said in a small voice. "Please give me a second chance?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine. But not know. I'm going back inside." I stormed away, but took the long path back. I wanted to be alone for a while.

I slowed down a bit and breathed in the summer air filled with rose scent. The rose garden was not for away. As soon as I turned the corner around the rose bushes, I froze. On a stone bench was Kate-Lyn and Adam embraced in each other's arms, kissing passionately. They didn't see me, but I had a very good vantage point. I wanted to laugh. Technically, this was treason from both of them, but I was so happy for them! I decided to do nothing and walk away.

How on earth was I going to tell this to Father, let alone the country? These boys were supposed to be mine. But they were perfect for each other. I walked away and headed for my room. I needed a long rose petal bath after this emotional roller coaster day.

I went up to my room. Anna wasn't there, so I prepared the bath myself. I slipped out of my dress and heels. I took the rose essential oil and poured a few drops in the rising water. Then I lit some candles that I put on the bathtub edge, and turned off the light and closed the door to my room. I slipped in the bathtub and leaned my head on the small round plastic pillow, closing my eyes, and letting the water fill the tub, slowly covering me up to my neck. I relaxed my limbs one after the other. I almost forgot to turn off the water before it overflowed.

I must have dozed off a few times, though, because when Anna knocked on the door and came in, it was time to get ready for dinner. I got out of the water and saw that my fingers and feet were all wrinkled like an old person's. I hoped it would go away before dinner. Anna made me wear a floor length blue strapless evening gown with blue heels. I was so happy to have her choose my outfits everyday, because it was one thing less for me to decide.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Don't worry, MArkus is not going home yet ;-)**

 **See you soon for the next chapter^^**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey beautiful readers! here's another chapter for you! hope you like it... but be warned... a lot of things happen in a very short time ;-)  
**

 ** _Chapter 25_**

On Thursday, I decided to take some time off of dating. I would just take what came along and make the best out of it. During breakfast, I nudged Kate in the ribs and whispered.

"So, is Adam a good kisser?" I wiggled my eyebrows and locked eyes with her with a sly smile, waiting to see her reaction.

She turned beet red. "You saw that?" she said in a tiny shameful voice.

"Yep. You two make a very cute couple. Now I just have to find a way to tell it to Father, and the country. I have a feeling they're going to hate me for that."

She was silent for a minute. "No, Rose. I can't let you loose face again. I'm going to tell Father, and I'm going to announce it to the country. The only person who's going to really hate us will be Rachel when she finds out I have one of _your_ Selected. You sent her there, because you didn't want her to do what I just did."

"Naah, don't worry about Rachel. I know she's having a good time. Phil told me she and Fréd were pretty close."

"Oh? Interesting..." she said with a mischievous voice. "How is he? Do you have any news?"

"Um... not recently. He called me a week or two ago."

"What did he say, besides that Rachel was having a good time with Fréd?"

"That he wanted me to end the Selection and marry him. Can you believe that?"

"What?! You're not serious."

"I am..."

"Insensitive jerk!" She said that a bit too loud, and all the boys turned around to look at us. Everyone froze. Kate laughed. "Don't worry, we're not talking about you guys..." They still looked at us suspiciously, and I smiled sheepishly. We all resumed eating.

Kate whispered this time. "He proposed on the _phone_?"

"Yeah. I felt terrible for the whole day."

"Why? Because you loved him and you couldn't do anything about it?"

"No. because I did worse than friendzoning him: I familyzoned him!"

"Oh. My. God. And I thought my love life was more complicated then yours." She shook her head in disbelief.

"About Adam." I wanted to change the subject. "I'll keep him until the end. But you need to talk to Father about it. And soon."

"I will. Don't worry. You have enough things to worry and think about."

"Thanks."

I looked over at the boys table. Nigel was looking my way, and he winked at me. I smiled in return and, yes, maybe I blushed a little. Who knows?

After breakfast, I slowly walked up the stairs to Fathers office. I had a lot of documents to go through for the next visit and so I made myself comfortable in a chair near the window, overseeing the Gardens. I hadn't read for a long time, when some movement caught my eye in the Gardens. I turned my head and saw something I had never anticipated. It made my heart stop for a beat or two. I stood.

"I'm sorry, Father, there's something I need to take care of. I'll be right back."

Father lifted an eyebrow. "All right."

I flew out of the office and down the stairs. How could they be there when they were supposed to have their daily morning lesson with Lord Calyster? I didn't understand. But it was maybe just a misunderstanding. Did I imagine them holding hands and then kissing on _my_ favourite bench out there? I stormed out of the doors and walked swiftly to where they were.

Nope. I hadn't imagined anything. They were kissing, not hearing me coming. I put my hands on my hips.

"Guys, are you serious?" I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

They both jumped and froze mid-kiss. Slowly, they backed away from each other and turned around to look at me. Matt had turned red in an instant, and Justin became white.

"I can't believe I didn't see it coming. How long?"

"A little more than a week." Matt said in a tiny voice, not looking at me but at his hands on his lap.

"Uh-huh. And when were you planning to tell me about this?"

"Never, actually." Justin said, not making eye contact.

"But why? What if I had chosen one of you? You would have been unhappy all your life."

"Rosaline, you would never have chosen one of us, anyway."

"Why not? You're still here, aren't you?" I said, still my hands on my hips. I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"With all due respect, Rosaline, we're not blind. There are others who love you more than anything. And you can only choose one. And I really do hope you are going to choose one you love, and not one for his looks." Matt said, defensively.

"You're right, I'm going to choose the one I love, even if I'm still not sure who it is, quite yet."

They both said nothing. I paced back and forth in front of them. "You know, if this comes out, it's going to do another scandal. For all three of us, not just for me. Just think about it. We all know homosexuality is tolerated in Illéa, but a lot of people still frown upon it. If they know two Selected were gay and would-"

"We're not gay." Justin cut me.

I snorted. "Oh really? Then explain me what are you doing?"

"We're bisexual."

I laughed humourlessly. "The scandal will be even bigger then: you two prefer to be with one another rather than with me? That's great! Imagine the headlines... ' _The Princess is so terrible the boys prefer falling in love between themselves'_ or what about _'The Princess is unlovable'_? Now how would that look? I already had enough bad publicity, thanks to my disastrous TV crew, and now this? What am I supposed to do with you?"

"Send us home? Without saying why? We won't say anything either." Matt suggested.

"I don't have any other idea, anyway. I'm sorry." I sighed and let my arms fall to my sides. "Do any of the other boys know about this?"

They looked at each other and shook their head. "No. We were careful enough to be discreet about it."

"Well, not enough, apparently, because I saw you from my Father's office. Imagine if he had seen you. It would have been a disaster. Look, I won't say anything about you if you promise not to say anything either as for why you were eliminated when you go home. If this comes out, I'm finished." And I really didn't want to be. I was trying hard enough to change my image; I didn't need some more complications.

They stood. "Good-bye Rosaline." Justin said, kissing the back of my hand. But I hugged him instead.

"I'll always cherish the drawing, Justin. Good luck."

"Thank you." He stepped aside and let Matt say his good-bye.

I hugged him, too. "Don't forget to take a few magazines with you, okay?"

"Really? No, I can't do that. I've already done enough damage."

"It's an order, Matt." I smiled slyly. "But you better put them to good use and open your own 50's dress shop in the future."

He chuckled. "Excellent idea. I'll name the store after the Princess."

"I'm not sure it's going to be good publicity for you, though. Good-bye."

They walked away and I was left all alone in the Gardens. I didn't want to go back to Father's office and explain this to him. Not yet. I sat on the bench and rested my elbow on the armrest, my head in my hand. I closed my eyes, and let the dancing branches of the trees around me soothe my aching heart and head.

What I said to Matt and Justin was true. I was going to choose the one I loved, but I still didn't know who that was. Of course, I had a softer spot in my heart for several of them, but they all had something incredible in my eyes. Alec's wit, or Hunter's eye for the extraordinary, or Logan's heart-broken story which pulled me to him, or Daxton's humour, or Westley's empathy, or even Nigel's possessiveness. Every single one of them was perfectly lovable. How was I ever going to make my heart choose?

"Everything alright, darling?" I heard in my ear, and I smiled. Westley.

"Of course everything's alright." I followed him with my gaze while he sat next to me. But he pointedly looked at me. "Fine." I crossed my arms. "No, everything's not alright."

"That's what I thought." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and sighed. "You wanna talk about it?"

I chuckled without humour. "I'm not sure that would be appropriate."

"Oh. Is it about Matt and Justin? I just saw them pack their bags. What happened?"

I snorted. "What I tell you stays between you and me, okay?"

"Of course. I would never betray anything you say, darling. I thought you knew that." There was a hint of hurt in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so paranoid right know about what is said about me. So, about Matt and Justin." I sighed. "It turns out they're both bisexual and they'd rather be together than with me."

"Ouch. How did no one see that before?"

"I have no idea. They were pretty careful to hide it. Until today. Westley, I saw them kissing from my Father's office! Imagine if the King had seen them? They would be dead by now."

"That's for sure. You should be happy you saw them kissing, though."

"Why? It kind of crushed me a little."

"Well, because they eliminated themselves. If you wait long enough, some are going to make mistakes, some are maybe going to fight, and you'll just have to let them go. They'll do the choosing for you."

I chuckled. "Not a bad idea. But why do you say 'they'? You're one of them, too, you know?" I smiled mischievously.

He laughed, and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe. But I'm never going to do a mistake, darling." He leaned closer, whispering near my neck. "The only mistake _you_ can do it sending me home." A wild strand of hair fell from my bun on my shoulder. He delicately tried to put it back. His touch was full of such gentleness; my heart wanted more of it. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he held me close. We didn't feel the need to talk much. Silence was welcome and all I wanted was to forget about my Princess-y life and be a normal young woman dating a dashing young man.

"Westley?"

"Hm?"

"I'd like to hear you play the violin, one day."

"It would be an honour to play for the Princess. Whenever you want. Just knock on my door and tell me you need music and I'll play for you."

"Is it that easy?" I looked at him.

"Yep."

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder again. It felt good to do nothing and just watch the minutes tick by. I needed more times like these.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" We both jumped and opened our eyes, seeing Nigel, Theo and Kurt standing in front of us.

"Enjoying the morning sun." Westley said casually, his arm still around my shoulders. It seemed like Nigel had mastered a smile just like the one I used when a storm was raging inside of me. At lease he was doing an effort.

"What are you guys up to?" I asked them. "Aren't you supposed to be with Lord Calyster?" I looked at Westley, too.

"He's sick, so we got the morning off." Theo said.

"Oh, good for you. I should be working with Father right now, too. But something came up, and I took half the morning off."

"Something like Westley?" Nigel asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Nope. Something else. Westley came after that."

"What did you want me to do? She was all alone here, and seemed to be having a bad time. I had to cheer her up." He said, laughing, defensively to the three newcomers. Kurt sat on the bench next to Westley, and Nigel and Theo sat on the grass, at our feet.

A few moments later, Caleb, Alec, Aaron and Michael arrived, sitting on the grass around us. This was becoming a group conversation. It was hard keeping up with all that was said. Then Hunter – with his camera – and Jerad came, too. Hunter started snapping pictures of us.

"Hey, we should do a group photo!" Caleb said. "All the boys around Rosaline." He ordered.

They made me sit in the middle of the bench, and they stood or sat around me, looking and pointing at me. I tried to look at innocent as I could. Hunter flashed and the picture was in the box.

"Hey, wait for us!" A large group arrived, with all the remaining boys – except for Adam, but I was sure he was with Kate. Too bad for them, though; they were missing out on something fun here.

We posed again the same way: me in the middle, striking a quizzical pose, and the seventeen boys sitting or standing around me, and pointing at me. I wished Adam would be here, so it would be the eighteen remaining boys; but then again, Adam was not going to be the chosen one at the end – for Kate, maybe, but not for me – so it made sense him not being here.

When we were tired of taking pictures, we just sat there, waiting for lunch time. I was still in the middle of the bench, Tristan on one side and Kenan on the other.

"Hey Alec," Evan asked. "What was the information you gave Rosaline for a kiss?"

Alec shrugged and looked at me with a sly smile on his lips. "I'm afraid it's classified information."

I laughed.

"Seriously, man, what did you tell her?"

Alec stared at Evan. "What are you afraid I told her? Do you have something to hide?"

"Of course not." Evan said defensively. "But maybe others do." He looked around to the others. Was he trying to rally some to his cause?

"Rosaline, what did he tell you?"

I waved the question away. "Nothing of great importance. It wasn't about me, and it wasn't about you. It was something about my sister."

Markus gasped. "You didn't! We all promised we wouldn't tell that!" He stood, grabbing Alec by the collar. "You treacherous pig! What about the bro code? Huh?"

Alec stood too, and I could hear anger in his voice. "You would have done the same thing! All I did was securing my place in the Selection and in Rosaline's heart!"

"Slime dog." Markus hissed. "You're just a Five, anyway. You don't even belong here. You don't even belong in Rosaline's heart!"

That was too much for Alec. Before anyone could do anything, Alec punched Markus in the nose. Markus groaned and blood trickled down his nose and onto his lips and down his chin, falling to the ground. He spit the blood he had in his mouth and lunged towards Alec. Axel, Daxton and Evan grabbed Markus' arms and held him back while Michael, Tristan and Nigel held Alec. Everyone was shouting things; I didn't understand what was happening.

"Darling, come on, let's get out of here." Westley said in my ear and he pulled me away. We walked swiftly back to the Palace. It was lunch time, so we headed for the Dining Room. I was still bewildered about what just occurred. Westley was right. If I waited long enough, they would eliminate themselves.

He helped me sit in my chair. The table was still empty. He sat on Kate's chair for a moment, and just then, Adam and Kate came in. when they saw us, they quickly let go of each other's hands. Westley frowned. "Did you know about that?" he whispered.

"Yes."

"And? What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. It's their problem with Father."

Westley nodded. "Okay."

"Where are all the others?" Adam asked.

"Alec and Markus are fighting and the others are trying to get them to stop." Westley informed him.

"Oh, wow. Well, it had to happen one day." He shrugged. "These two never got along from the start." Adam stated.

"Yeah, it's not surprising." Westley concluded.

Father and mom came in with Maggie and seemed surprised to see only the four of us. Then, one by one, the boys came in the Dining Room. Markus had blood on his shirt, and Alec had a black eye. The others seemed unscathed. Thank goodness.

Father stood and waited for all of the boys to take their seats. He crossed his arms. "What on earth happened? I want an explanation." I certainly didn't want to be in the boys' place, right now. Father could be very scary when he used his King voice.

Alec stood. "We fought, Your Majesty. Thank you for your hospitality, I'm going to prepare my bags." He walked away.

"Now wait a minute young man. You can't go unless the Princess dismisses you." Father looked at me.

I breathed deeply. "I'm afraid Alec and Markus will be going home this afternoon." I turned to a maid nearby. "Please bring these Gentlemen's lunch in their room."

She curtsied. "Yes, Your Highness." And she walked away.

"You can go." Father said to the two fighters, before sitting back on his chair. In a heavy silence, we waited for the first dish to come in. I couldn't believe there had been four eliminations in jus half a day. Sixteen boys remained, now.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Pfiew! that was intense, right? at least the numbers are dwindling down... see you tomorrow for the next chapter!**

 **oh, and I just passed 102 pages in Word! Lol ^^ the longest thing I've ever written, so far!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey y'all! here's a new one just for you :) I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it, too ;)  
**

 ** _Chapter 26_**

I entered the overheated studio and sat on my designated chair. Mom sat next to me, and took my gloved hand.

"How are you feeling, honey?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I guess I'm glad the Selection is moving on a bit, but I'm terribly afraid I let someone go that I shouldn't have."

"Who, for instance?"

"Alisdair, Matt, I don't know. All of them."

"Honey, remember when I told you to use your guts? These guys had to go. You're keeping the best, and you will marry _the_ best, the one you love."

"But what if I can't decide?"

"Then let the Selection go on for as long as you need. There's no rush. It's been a month, and you eliminated nineteen already. You've done a great job. But now, maybe you should take your time a bit more and get to really know them even better than you already do, now."

"Yeah, well, I still need to date some that I still haven't had a date with yet. Sometimes I feel I'm living at one hundred miles per hour. I don't see the time pass. Did you say it has been a month already?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Five minutes, everyone!" The stage director called. Mom went back to her seat to let Father sit next to me.

I had no idea what Everest had in store for tonight's _Report_. He wanted it to be a surprise, and he assured me I wouldn't have to talk. Good. I didn't want to make a fool of myself again this week. I had put a very simple but elegant dark green off-the-shoulders and low waist gown with black heels, black earrings, no necklace or bracelet, and the smallest tiara I owned. I didn't want to wear one, but it was mandatory for all of us to wear a crown or a tiara on the _Report_. Fine.

"Twenty seconds!"

I saw Maggie running back to her chair. I think she was entertaining the boys, because they were all laughing and trying to smother there laughs before the final five seconds.

The Anthem played, Father announced that the next visits would not be televised – for security reasons – and that they would only see a few pictures during the next _Report_. He didn't even say where the visit was. He had told me it would be safer; I would not be sabotaged. Father walked back to his seat and Everest jumped in, as bubbly and excited as ever.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Tonight is a very special night. As you can see, the number of Selected has diminished quite a bit. Only Sixteen young men remain. Tonight, they will all answer the same question for us." He turned to look at me. "Princess Rosaline, you better pay close attention at what they are going to say because it might help you in your future choice." I nodded and he turned his attention back to the audience and the boys. "All right. I will call you in a random order, so be ready with your answer."

He sat on his high bar chair and pulled a small paper out of his pocket. "The question is: _What kind of Prince will you be, knowing that Princess Rosaline might be your wife?_ " He looked at the screen and the question appeared on it, white on purple. He called the first boy on his list. "Sir Caleb."

Caleb stood and walked to the other high bar chair next to Everest.

"So, Sir Caleb. What kind of Prince will you be?

Caleb inhaled deeply.

"I'm sorry you didn't have a lot of time to think on your answer, being the first one to come here." Everest said apologetically.

Caleb chuckled. "Yeah. Um, being the Prince is a great responsibility, I think. I would try to help the Princess with all her work. Why not be in her board of advisors? Because I get a feeling we wouldn't see each other a lot during the day."

He had a point there. But I don't think being on my board of advisors would be very wise...

"Thank you Sir Caleb. Anything you want to add to that?"

"Um." He looked at me. "I think that I would never tire of gazing at her." he said with a small smile lifting his dark brown eyes in a cute way. I smiled back to him, nodding a thank you.

"All right. Thank you, Sir Caleb." Caleb stood and went back to his seat. "Sir Kenan?"

Everest waited for him to be seated, and Kenan didn't wait for the question,

"I would always take her on a drive, out of here, so she can have a change of scenery from time to time. Why not to the beach or to the mountains? That could be fun."

"That sure would be fun." Everest agreed.

Oh, yes. You don't how much I want to go out of these walls, Kenan. I might even marry you just for that. Ha.

Kenan stood and walked back to his seat without even been asked to.

"Sir Adam?" I nudged Kate with my foot under our skirts, saying _this is for you, listen carefully!_ She blushed a little and focused on Adam.

Adam looked at us, but I knew he really was looking at my sister. "I'd be waiting for her every evening, ready to do whatever she wants, may it be a movie night, a dinner for two, or just some time alone..." He blushed a little at that last thing. I smothered a laugh. No, I couldn't imagine them doing it. It was too soon. But this was so hilarious. I peeked at Father, and he was holding mom's hands, gently rubbing her skin with this thumb, a small smile on his lips. What? I shook every thought away from my mind and focused on the next boy who was already seated next to Everest.

"Sir Evan. Tell us what kind of Prince will you be?"

"Well, since I'm a gardener, I think I will want to create a small place in the Gardens for the Princess to spend time there, either alone if she needs time alone, or with me. There would be her favourite flowers, of course, and I would build the most royal and romantic rotunda. I'm sure she would always want to be there. It would be her own little safe nest."

Aww! Evan, that is so sweet. You know, you have a special place in my heart. You were my first kiss, and this garden rotunda idea is perfect! I might marry you, instead.

"Wow, Sir Evan, you sure have your priorities straight. Thank you for that beautiful answer."

Evan walked back to his seat and was replaced by Tristan, who didn't wait for the question.

"With me, Princess Rosaline can be free and wild; she won't have to be a Princess or a Queen: just herself." He looked at me with his startling ice blue eyes, a small smile on his lips. "But she already knows that." He gazed at me for a few more seconds. "Oh, and I won't tire to look at her, either. There's an incredible gentleness and softness that emanates from her and it draws me to her."

I felt my cheeks heat and my heart flutter. These interviews were confusing me even more. Each one had something incredible to offer freely, and I was simply overwhelmed by it all, but in a positive sense. I wanted to marry him, too. They all had a special place in my heart, at this point, and this was not helping at all.

Tristan walked away and Aaron sat on the high chair next to our favourite _Report_ host.

"Sir Aaron, how about you?"

"Everest, all I can say is that I would be delighted to be at her side, and support everything she does. I won't mind walking in her shadow, as long as she's happy with that and fully loved by me. The crown doesn't scare me at all: I'm kind of used to the fame, being an actor, you know? So it doesn't scare me." He smiled his signature smile – the one he is known for as an actor – and winked at me.

Hmm. Was he here just for the Crown, then? I would have to find out. But I guess _Crown_ and _Love_ can go hand in hand, right?

"Thank you, Sir Aaron." Everest looked at his paper again. "Sir Kurt?" He waited for Kurt to come. I noticed how he wasn't as thin as when he arrived. Good. "What kind of Prince would you be?"

Kurt inhaled deeply before talking. "Well, I would have my five brothers and sisters come to the Palace. Our parents died five years ago, and since I'm their sole provider, I guess that's the first thing I'd do, if the Princess would grant me that, of course. I would never do anything against her will. Even as the Prince – her husband – I would still be one of her subjects, and she would still have all power over me."

Now that was interesting. Did everyone see me like that, all powerful? Was he afraid of me? But I think it was really sweet how he thought of his siblings before himself. It proves that he really loves them and is dedicated to his family. And that's not something to overlook. Damn it, Rosaline! Don't use your brain! Use your heart.

Everest then called Axel, who made himself comfortable on the high chair, his right ankle propped on his left knee.

"Oh, I know what I would do. I would love her for the rest of my days, until my last breath, and show my love for her every day, in small ways."

"Can you give an example, Sir Axel?"

"Sure." He nodded. "I would write little notes for her to find on her desk in the morning, or in her binder during conferences. It would make her smile, and that will make my day, knowing that she still knows I love her. Her smile just makes my heart melt every single time." He gazed over at me, and blew me a kiss. I smiled and shook my head in amusement. Seriously, every single one of them so far was a perfect option.

Everest had his hand on his heart. "Aww, that is so sweet!" He turned to me. "Princess Rosaline, I hope you are making notes of all that." I nodded. Of course I was, and it was confusing me even more. Ugh. Thank you, Everest. It was kind of a bittersweet feeling, you know? It was really great to hear them answer to that question, but it was confusing my heart even more. As if it wasn't confused enough. Ha. One thing that would be the icing on the cake, right now, would be Philippe turning up unannounced. Now that would bring pandemonium in my head and heart, I was sure of it.

I didn't hear Everest call Hunter.

"I would stay in the background and let all the lights shine on her. I'd snap pictures of her and cover an entire wall in our bedroom with picture of her and our life, helping her remember that she is extraordinary in an ordinary world. And I know she needs to remember that from time to time when people say things against her. I want to build a wall of confidence around her, create a space where she knows she's the rightful Princess – and later on, Queen."

This time, I swear I had a tear coming down my cheek, and I smiled. He had finally realized he was good enough for me. I wanted to marry him, too. I snorted. If I married everyone I said I'd marry, I'd have nine husbands. Wait, what?

I saw Everest dry a tear, too, and call for the next Selected on his list. "Sir Westley?"

Westley strolled down the Centre Stage and sat on the high chair.

"Can you tell us what kind of Prince you'd be?"

"Of course." He looked at me and talked without breaking his gaze on me. "What I have to offer are two shoulders she can cry on if she needs to – with hundreds of shirts to ruin, of course – and two arms she can run to in case she needs a safe place. My heart is forever hers, and I hope she'll take it." His dark green eyes shone of love and sincerity. I had to laugh when he said he will have hundreds of shirt for me to ruin. I was sure some people were imagining me ripping his shirt off in an unladylike fashion. But no, he was just talking about make-up smudges. I saw Kate glare at me.

"It's not what you think, Kate."

She squinted her eyes suspiciously. "Yeah right."

Everest was crying again. Pull yourself together! It's not finished yet. He called Daxton through some tears still glinting on his cheeks.

"Sir Daxton. Please tell us what kind of Prince you'd be?"

"Well, I'm surprised none of the boys talked about this, yet. But besides from giving the cooks some time off so I could cook for my wife, I'd be a clown for her. I'm sure the sessions talking about budgets and war and other things are boring and not funny at all. I'd lift her spirits and make her laugh. You now why?"

"No, why?" Everest asked, leaning forward on the edge of his chair.

"Because she has the cutest laugh I've ever heard and when I hear it, I just want to have more of it."

And I laughed. I really didn't do it on purpose, I just did. He was the first one to ever say I had a cute laugh.

"See?" He said. "That's what I'm talking about!" He laughed, too, winking at me and blowing a kiss my way. I blew him one, too, and I would marry him, too. Everest, why did you do this? It's getting harder and harder. I would have though that by dwindling the number of boys down, it would bet easier. But, like mom said just before the _Report_ , only the best remained.

Daxton went back to his seat and Nigel came in his place.

"Sir Nigel? What kind of Prince will you be?"

"Well, I've always wanted to settle down and start a family. Princess Rosaline made me realize that this will not be the kind of settling down I always imagined. It took me some, but I know exactly what kind of Prince I'd be: a stay-at-home dad, looking after our children," he quickly looked my way, making sure I wanted children, too, "and waiting for her every evening, ready to do whatever she wanted to do." He paused. "I've never fallen in love like that before. I know I want her to be the mother of my kids, and I'm going to do whatever it takes for her to love me and choose me in the end."

Oh, wow. I've never talked about having children. Even though I know it will be required to produce and Heir, it has been something kind of taboo. Having children meant, you know, having sex, and this was not something I was ready to think about just yet. This was a little bit embarrassing. Oh, well. One was bound to talk about it anyway, right?

"Sir Theo?" Micheal nudged Theo lightly and mouthed the words 'your turn'. I was glad he was taken care of. Sometimes I was afraid he would miss something and make a fool of himself. He was anxious enough as it was.

Theo sat on the high chair and looked intently at Everest's mouth. I knew Theo didn't want people to now he was deaf, but if Everest didn't know, it would be hard for both of them so I had told him about Theo. And he was kind enough not to speak too fast and to enunciate a bit more, always looking at him. "Sir Theo. What kind of Prince will you be if Princess Rosaline chooses you?"

He nervously twisted his hand in his lap. "I would try to help her with whatever she needs help with. If she needs advice, I'll give it to her. If she needs a hug, I'll be there. If she needs to laugh, I'll give her something to laugh about." He shrugged shyly.

"I think that you would be a great Prince, Sir Theo." Everest said encouragingly, patting his arm kindly. Yeah, Theo was sweet. And I realized he was one of the few I still didn't know well. I needed to find some time to spend with him in the near future.

Theo went back to his seat and Everest called Logan, who took place on the chair. Was it me or was his step lighter and his expression happier? Father still needed to interrogate his father, but I think he was sure he would be freed. I hoped he was right, or I feared it would kill him.

"Sir Logan? What about you?"

"Princess Rosaline has done so much for me already; I am indebted to her for life. If I could serve her all my life and be her faithful and loving husband – if she wants me, that is – I would do it with a grateful heart. And a loving heart, too, of course. But that's obvious." He gazed my way and smiled. I returned his smile and I wanted to hug him. He was a huggable person, and I wouldn't tire of it. I could easily see myself grow old by his side. Yep, another one.

Logan almost skipped back to his seat and Jerad came forward. Poor Jerad. I knew he liked Kate better than me, but unfortunately, Kate had made her choice with Adam. If Jerad knew that, I could easily imagine his kind and loving heart breaking in a million pieces.

"Sir Jerad. How do you imagine yourself as Prince?"

"A lot of things have been said already. But I would, without a doubt, stand by her side in whatever she does. I would be there for when she needs someone to lean upon. I want to push her to be the best she can be. Even though she doesn't need a lot of help with that. Maybe a little nudge sometimes to propel her to her full potential." He smiled and looked at me for my reaction. Wow. How on earth will I ever chose? This was being more and more difficult.

"Thank you, Sir Jerad." Everest checked his paper. "And, last but not least, Sir Michael."

Michael walked proudly to the high chair.

"Sir Michael. You're the last one to answer the question; you better have a memorable one."

"I'm always memorable, Everest. You know that." He nudged his arm and laughed. "If I was the Prince, I would have Rosaline" – everyone gasped: he didn't say 'Princess'! – "give me the 'Party' responsibility. I would always have people around and that would cheer her up, after a long day of reading boring things and sitting through boring conferences. It would bring life to the Palace. I can't even imagine the Palace empty, with only the Royal Family. It must be sad and quiet. Too quiet." You have no idea, Michael... He laughed.

But why did they all think my job was boring? I love what I do. If there wasn't someone to read those reports and sit through long sessions with the advisors, the country would go nowhere…

"Wow. I guess we do need a bit more parties in the Palace, right, Your Majesty?" He turned to Father, who just smiled and shook his head. Nope. Father was not a party lover. Only on big occasions, but that was all.

"Well, Ladies and Gentlemen," Everest turned to the audience. But I wasn't listening. I was still trying to find a way where I didn't need to chose only one, but have them all stay until the end of time. It hit me, but too soon, and I burst out laughing. Everest turned around and looked at me.

"Princess Rosaline, do you have something funny you'd like to share with us?"

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry." I swallowed my laughs and hiccups. "No, this is- No." I shook my head, still trying not the laugh.

"Okay... Well, goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen!" The cameras went off and we were free. I walked to the boys, who were still in their seats.

"I'm so sorry I laughed. I was just trying to find a way to keep you all, because I still can't decide who of you I love best. But then I though I could build a Harem in the Palace, with sixteen husbands! What do you think about that?" I chuckled, but when I saw their not-amused faces, I stopped laughing. Oh, god. What did I just say?

"Rosaline, you can do whatever you want." Michael said. "But there is going to be blood. We're going to kill each other if you do that." He seemed pretty serious. But I was kind of joking.

I sighed. "Oh. My. God. I'm so sorry, this is so embarrassing. I- Forget about what I just said. This is so embarrassing." I said as I walked away. But instead of going to the Dining Room for dinner, I fled up the stairs to the fourth floor and found the secret switch behind a plant next to a gigantic Rembrandt painting. The painting grated on its hinges and I opened the secret door. I ran in the narrow dark corridor and up the steep metallic stairs, all the way up to a wooden door. I opened it and found myself outside, on the roof, on a small terrace, the whole City at my feet, and the ocean for as far as the eye could see. I focused on breathing for a minute.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, Rose. Your ideas are lame, your humour is lame, what you do is lame. You are lame all over! How can one even fall in love with a stupid girl like me? I'm not even a woman, I'm still a child. A stupid child, not fit to be a Princess, and even less to be a Queen. Who am I fooling? I should just end this stupid Selection and abdicate. I'm sure Kate and Adam would be a far better Queen and King than I would. I could just-"

"Please don't even think about it, dear Rose."

I jumped and turned around. "Tristan! Did you hear all that?" I made a disgusted face.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. But as I already told you, you are free to be yourself with me. And if that means rambling all alone and denigrate yourself, I'm ready to listen. And when you're done, I'll tell you you're wrong." He smiled mischievously.

"I'm not wrong. I am lame and stupid."

"No you're not." He opened his arms. "Come here, dearie. You need a hug." I obeyed and he wrapped his strong arms around me. I focused on breathing at the same pace his heart was beating. Was it going a bit faster now? "You know? Not only one boy loves you. I know for sure several of them do."

"How can this even be possible? I don't even love myself, right now."

"It's possible, I can assure you." he said softly.

"Do you?"

"Yes. It's been some time, now."

"Why? What about me made you love me? I don't see anything."

"Well, you're a beautiful young woman. You have the most generous heart on earth; you're kind and considerate of others. You can't chose who you love most because you see the beauty in everyone. You just don't see it in yourself. But I want to show you what I see in you."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. I just let him hold me tight and I closed my eyes. I wanted to see myself like they did, but it was too hard. How could I after what had happened with the campaign? What was the point of view of sixteen boys against a whole nation? Out of nowhere, tears streamed down my cheeks and the sobs followed swiftly. I felt him tighten his hug and draw soothing circles on my back.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Okay, so who do you think had the sweetest answer, and who do you think would be a great Prince for Rosaline? ;-)**

 **According to those answers, who do you think is here only for the Crown, and not necessarily for Rose's Heart?**

 **All right, see you tomorrow with a new chapter!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Guys, Thank you for the reviews! I love you for it :) keep them coming in, I love to read what you think of the story and your reactions to it, too ;)**

 ** _Chapter 27_**

On Saturday, I asked Father for the whole day off and he said yes. I changed in a pair of white pants, a light blouse and black horse riding boots. I went to the Men's Parlour and knocked on the door. I knew they would all be here, like they were supposed to on a Saturday: possible visitors would want to meet them, and they had to be close on hand.

Evan opened the door. "Rosaline! Come in, come in." he smiled and stepped aside to let me in.

"Hello, everyone. I was going to go riding, but then I thought it would be boring to go alone. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"I do!" Tristan immediately said.

"Yeah, me too!" Michael said. "Even though I don't know how to ride." He chuckled.

"That's not a problem, Michael." I reassured him. "You'll see it's quite easy, and we have very kind horses."

"I'll come, too." Said Jerad. And one by one, they agreed to come along.

"Okay. I'll go ask the cooks to prepare us a picnic; I'll go get Kate-Lyn, and some blankets to sit on. I'll meet you in thirty minutes just outside the Garden doors, okay?"

"Um, Rosaline?"

"Yes, Tristan?"

"What about boots for us?"

"There are plenty in the barn, I'm sure you'll find your fit." He nodded and I walked away, down to the kitchens to ask the cooks to prepare us a picnic in a couple bag packs – that the boys would carry, of course. Then I went to Kate's room, asking her if she wanted to come along – "Yes, Adam will be there." – and she said yes. I also asked Anna for some picnic blankets, and I was ready. I met the boys at the rendezvous point, and I was the last one. I distributed the three picnic bags and the blankets, and we all walked to the Royal Barn.

I already had eighteen horses readied for us. Kate had hers – Bella, a white mare – and I headed to mine – Apples, a dapple grey stallion – while the boys looked for a pair of boots that would fit them. Fifteen minutes later, everyone had boots that fit and was seated on one of the horses. A groom had helped the boys who didn't know what do to and we all walked away in a group.

"So, where are we going?" Tristan asked me, bringing his horse next to mine. By the way he rode, I could see he had done this a thousand times before: he held the reins with only one hand, the other on his hip.

"There's a stream on the other side of the Palace grounds."

"How big is this place?" Logan asked, coming on the other side of me. He wasn't as relaxed as Tristan on his saddle, but he managed all right.

"Big enough for my Father to host a hunting party every year with twenty friends of his and thirty dogs."

"You have dogs, here? I didn't see any." Tristan asked.

"No, we don't. My Mother is allergic to them. All my Father's friends have dogs, though."

"Oh." they both said at the same time.

I turned my horse around, trotting to the other boys behind me. "Who would like to go for a little trot? Just heel you horse – but not too hard – and he'll follow mine!" I heeled Apples and he started to trot. Tristan heeled his, following close behind, and one by one the horses followed suit, making the boys jump up and down on there saddles. Tristan laughed and shook his head.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Just look at them!" He said pointing his thumb over his shoulder, still chuckling.

I looked over my shoulder. "Aww. Don't make fun of them. They need help. Keep going, their horses will follow yours."

I made my horse turn around and I found myself behind the group. I placed Apples in the middle of them. "You need to push yourselves on your stirrups, and follow the horse's movement with your legs. Look at how I do it." I made Apples trot in front of the group so they could see. "See?" They tried doing what I was doing. Some managed and went forward, catching up with Tristan.

But Theo, Kurt, Axel and Evan were still struggling. I tried to explain better, and then they finally succeeded in doing it. We trotted a little bit faster and caught up with the other group, who had their horses walking, now. We were in the middle of a wild flower field, sprinkled with red poppies. The forest was still a mile away and then the stream would be half a mile inside the woodland.

"Okay, who's on for a gallop? I'll race you to the edge of the forest!" I heeled Apples real hard and he flew away in a full gallop. He loved to gallop and I knew he was the fastest we owned. Tristan heeled his brown stallion and raced me to the forest. I won of course, and we both laughed, waiting for the others who were a bit too scared to go full gallop. When everyone was here, I led them in the forest, ducking under low branched. Nobody said a word. The only sounds were the horse's hooves on the dried leaves, the horses breathing and the stream flowing in the distance, which was louder and louder as we came closer. The sun managed to filter through the high branches and there was a large enough spot in the sun for all of us to sit for a picnic.

I swung my right leg over the saddle and jumped on the ground. I took the reins in my hands and led Apples to the stream to drink. When I looked over my shoulder at the boys, they were trying to get down, too, of their horses. Tristan was already on the ground, and Westley was whispering something to him. They both looked at me and smiled. I pretended I didn't see that. I wondered what just transpired between them. I guess I'll never know.

Some had their horsed drink from the stream, and some horses pulled their rider to the stream so they could drink, too. Horses often have a mind of their own. When all the eighteen horses were satisfied, I showed them where we could tie the reins so the horses wouldn't run away, put could still eat some grass: on a cluster of trees not too far away.

Then, we spread the blankets and sat, enjoying the sun coming through the trees and the water flowing next to us. I took off my boots and my socks, and rolled my pants mid-calves and put my feet in the stream. They all did the same. Evan and Daxton crossed the ten feet wide stream and sat on the other side, which was a good idea, if we wanted to all talk together and see each other. Adam and Kate, of course, sat next to each other. Caleb sat on my left and Axel on my right.

"Are you going to say something about Adam?" Caleb whispered in my ear.

"No." I smiled. "Why would I?"

"Isn't it treason?" he asked, still whispering.

I shrugged. "It's not my problem anymore. They'll have to answer to the King."

"Oh. Well, good luck with that." he said sarcastically.

"Okay, who's hungry?" I asked, standing up to get the bags. I opened the first and pulled out a couple sandwiches. "Heads up!" I said to Daxton and Evan as I threw the sandwiches to them. They caught them before they fell in the water. I distributed the food like that, until everyone had something to eat.

Adam was laughing. "What's funny?" I asked him.

"You!" He chuckled. "That was very unladylike. What would your Mother say?"

"She would have done the same thing. In fact, she's the one who used to distribute things like that when we were little. Like cookies or toys." I cringed. "It's Father who wouldn't be that happy, though." I laughed. "To hell being a Lady, right now." I said as I took a huge bite in my sandwich. Everyone laughed.

It was really a good time. But I noticed that some of the boys were avoiding or ignoring each other. I assumed it would be normal at this point in the Selection. There were only fifteen of them left – not counting Adam – and it was a tight game, now, for them.

"Rose? – I can call you Rose, right?" Michael asked.

I chuckled. "Sure you can."

He smiled and resumed what he wanted to say. "Where's your next visit?"

"Carolina. We're going to visit an Orphanage with children between six months and twelve years old."

"Oh wow." Theo said. "And who's coming with you?"

"I'm not sure yet. I want two or three of you, but which I still haven't had a date with or went on a visit with. So that leaves Axel, Tristan, Aaron, Caleb, Theo and Kurt."

"And me." Westley said. "We spent some time together, but it was neither dates nor visits."

"You're right. And Westley." I added. "So, who'd like to come?"

Axel, Caleb and Westley lifted their hands. "Okay, perfect."

"When are we going?" Caleb asked, biting in his sandwich.

"Monday. We'll be leaving at dawn. It's a four hour flight, and we're going to spend the day there. We'll be back in Angeles by two in morning the next day. Do you still want to come?"

"Yeah." Axel said. "It's my Province, I'm coming anyway."

"Me too." Caleb and Westley said in unison.

"Good."

We stayed there for a good part of the afternoon, chilling in the sun and our feet in the water, laying down on the blankets. Theo even napped, and some wrestled for fun, trying to see who was the strongest. Adam and Kate weren't antisocial and actually participated in the conversations – and Adam in the wrestling matches. It was a real fun afternoon. A little too good to be true, but I didn't mind having something nice happening after the past week's catastrophe.

Around four o'clock we started to put our boots back on and packing up the bags and blankets on the saddles, and we rode back to the Palace, not trotting nor galloping. I wanted this afternoon to continue as long as possible. When the Palace was in view, the horses hurried up to the Barn. We dismounted and let the grooms take care of them.

We were walking in a group, all talking at the same time. I was walking backwards, trying to listen to everyone.

"Good afternoon, Rosie." I heard behind me, and I froze. Everyone froze, actually. What on earth was _he_ doing here? Careful what you wish for, Rose. Didn't I say just last night that his showing up here unannounced would be the icing on the cake? Ugh. I put a smile on my face and turned around, facing the Prince of France.

"Philippe! What a pleasant surprise!"

"I hope I'm not interrupting something." he said, eyeing the group behind me.

"Yes, you are." Nigel said, coming up next to me, his arms crossed over his chest. Jerad stepped up on my other side and crossed his arms over his chest, too, frowning. I wanted to laugh so hard. Philippe had just stepped into a ferocious group of boys fighting over me.

He smirked. "So, how is it to have sixteen boys fighting for your hand instead of one?" his sly smile showed his jealousy more than anything else.

I sighed. "Great. But I don't need seventeen, Philippe. What are you doing here?" I asked, my smile still on my lips, but a storm raging inside me.

He shrugged. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Phil, you know better than anyone that phones exist." I said sarcastically. I heard Kate burst out laughing, and covering her mouth, but too late.

Phil stared at her, but still talked to me. "Does she know?"

"Yes."

"Who else?"

"No one." I turned to the boys behind and next to me. "Guys, I'm terribly sorry for the _intrusion_ " – I emphasised that word – "in our afternoon, but I need to talk to his Majesty in private." Even though my voice was full of sarcasm, something else must have transpired in my eyes for Tristan to whisper: "Are you going to be okay? I'm not sure I trust him."

"I'll be fine, don't worry." I breathed in deeply and led Philippe away, to the privacy of my room. When I closed the door, I spun around to face him. "Now tell me what the hell you are doing here!" I demanded.

"Woah, calm down, Rose." he lifted his hands defensively and made himself comfortable on my plushest armchair, his feet on the coffee table on front of it. "I just wanted to see you. And I wanted to ask you if you were pregnant." The smile on his face was a pure smirk.

I choked on my own saliva. "Excuse-me?" He had said that like if he was talking about the weather. I shook my head in bewilderment. "Am I fat, or something?"

"No, it wouldn't show already, anyway."

"Phil, what are you talking about?" I really had no idea. Was this some kind of joke or something? "There's no way I could ever be pregnant. We talked about this, remember? You know the Illéan law."

"What if I tell you that you _did_ have sex?" He looked at his fingernails, not making eye contact with me. Yet.

My legs wouldn't carry me anymore and I fell on the edge of my bed. "But that's impossible. I would know, Phil." My heart beat a little faster. What was happening?

He pointed at my bed. "Right there." He paused and looked at me. "Remember when you passed out after your third glass of wine?" I nodded. "Well, you didn't really pass out, but you were very drunk."

I frowned, and my voice was so little, I barely heard it. "Did you actually rape me?" I was suddenly terrified of the man in front of me.

"No, I wouldn't consider that rape. You were quite consenting, actually."

I exploded. "I was drunk, you idiot! You used me!"

"Calm down. You don't want word of this to get around, now, do you?"

"I don't believe you." I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to muster the little assurance I had left in me.

"Why not?"

"Because there was no blood on the sheets."

"Are you sure about that?" he smirked.

No, I wasn't sure. I didn't think of checking for blood. How could I have thought of that?

"Besides," he continued. "Not all virgins bleed the first time. You didn't."

I felt all the blood from my face drain away. "Go away, Phil."

"You can't make me go. I'm a visitor and a Royal. I can stay as long as I want."

"Maybe I can't make you go, but the King can. He's the only one more powerful than you here." I said, trying to convince myself as I said it.

"Well, see, that's the problem. He's not more powerful than me."

I laughed humourlessly. "You're not King."

"Not yet. But my Father had a heart attack three days ago, so I'm the regent until he gets better or lets me ascend." He looked at his fingernails again.

No. This was not happening. This was turning into a nightmare. "Then what are you doing here? You left your country without a ruler? Nice job, _Your Majesty._ "

"Don't worry about that. I'm going back as soon as I have my wife with me."

"You're crazy. I'm not your wife."

"Maybe not, yet. But you may still be the mother of my child. Are you sure you're not pregnant?"

Oh my god, I had totally forgotten how this conversation started in the first place. "I'm gonna be sick..." I ran to the bathroom and vomited my lunch in the toilet.

"See? Morning sickness. You _are_ pregnant!"

"I am not!" I screamed over my gag reflexes. "And it's not morning…"

"Prove it to me by taking this pregnancy test." He handed a small white plastic stick.

I cleaned my mouth and stood facing him. "I am not taking that test. You may as well have sabotaged it. I'm going to the infirmary." I stormed passed him, but he grabbed my elbow.

"You are not going there. The doctor is going to ask questions, and you already have a bad image as it is. You don't want that."

"Ha. Now you care of my wellbeing? After raping me? You're totally insane. And you think I'd marry you after that? No way."

"Actually, you don't have a choice."

"And why not?"

"Because it's _my_ baby."

"I can just say the father is one of the Selected."

"Nope, won't work. It was one or two weeks _before_ the Selection started. And doctors can count the weeks." He said with a very confident smile on his face. Funny how one time I had found his face quite handsome. Now it was terrifying.

I rang for Anna, who came in two minutes later.

"My Lady?" She curtsied. Then she saw Philippe. Surprise flashed across her face, but she quickly hid it and curtsied to him, too. "Your Majesty."

"Anna, I need you to do something for me, and fast."

"What is it?"

"Go to the Infirmary, and find a pregnancy test for me. Don't let the Doctot see you." I ordered.

Questions filled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. "Yes, My Lady." She walked away and closed the door behind her.

"You trust a maid, but not me?"

"I trust her with my life. Now shut up, I don't want to hear you anymore until she comes back." He poured himself a glass of lemonade before sitting on the armchair again, making himself comfortable, crossing his hands behind his head and ticking the seconds with his foot.

I paced the floor, avoiding looking at him, and trying to find a way out of this nightmare. Then I faced him. "You planned this all along?"

He smiled slyly. "Yep. It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

I simply glared at him and imagined all the ways I could use to kill him. If I was really bearing his child, I was finished. And he was right: I couldn't even cover it with one of the Selected. I was totally trapped.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Anna came back. She pulled a small white stick from her apron pocket and handed it to me.

"Did you see the Doctor?" I asked.

"Yes. I told him a was getting some aspirin for you."

"Thank you."

I headed to the bathroom, a heavy feeling on my shoulders and in my stomach. Philippe was on my heels.

"Phil, I need to pee on this thing. Can I pee alone?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry." He went back in my room, closing the bathroom door behind him. I locked it, to be sure. Then I inhaled deeply, before sitting on the toilet.

I peed on the stick, and waited...

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **MOUAHAHAHA... *rubs hands together* I'm an evil person, aren't I? ;-)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter ;-) only, I can't believe there was this little reaction from you guys (only 3!)... this was the best plot twist I ever came up with! Haha it was genius, wasn't it? (oh, and besides being an evil person, I'm very modest, too ;-P ) thank you very much^^  
**

 ** _Chapter 28_**

"Well?" He asked through the door.

"It takes a couple minutes, moron." I said, flushing the toilet. I forced my voice not to quiver.

"Can I come in, My Lady?" Anna asked.

I unlocked the door to let her in. "Hey! What about me?" Philippe asked, putting a foot in the door.

"Let me find out on my own. You made enough damage as it is. Give me some privacy, for goodness' sake!"

"Fine. But hurry up. I've got a country to go back to."

Anna and I looked at the tiny screen for the result. A little pink "plus" sign gradually appeared. I gasped and sat back on the closed toilet seat. My whole body went limp and I wanted to cry. That was it. But Anna put a finger on her lips and pulled out a second Pregnancy test from her apron and she gave it to me, whispering. "I peed on it before coming here, My Lady, and I'm not pregnant. Show this one to him, and give me yours."

I gave her mine with the small pink "plus" sign and took hers with a straight horizontal line with trembling hands. I still couldn't believe what was happening.

This was the best time to use my PhD mastered smile. I opened the door.

"Well?" he said impatiently. "Are you pregnant or not?"

"See for yourself." I gave him Anna's test and he eagerly took it. I watched as his face crumbled when he realized what that tiny line meant.

"Damn it." And he said other terrible things, too, that I won't repeat here. "This was supposed to work!"

"It didn't. Now you can go back to France." He glared at me. "And don't _ever_ set foot here again, you understand?! Just go." He didn't move. "I don't know if I should call the guards or the Selected. Maybe the guards will be gentler with you." I stormed past him and beckoned the guard in the hall. He came over. "Please get rid of this man." I said walking back to my room with the guard.

Phil was still under the shock that it didn't work and let the guard take him away. "Oh, and make sure he goes back to France today, Officer. Thank you." I closed the door and leaned my forehead against it, focusing on taking slow gulps of air. I had managed not to break down in front of him.

But now I was free to do it. Tears started streaming down my cheeks and sobs shook my whole body as I slipped to the floor in a puddle of helplessness. Anna kneeled next to me and wrapped her arms around me, rocking me back and forth like she did when I was a little girl. I held onto her, but I found that I didn't even have the strength to do that. My whole body was limp as I had held it together through the whole conversation with Phil – my baby's father... – and all my energy had went there.

I cried silently. "Oh, Anna, what am I going to do?" I said between sobs. "What did I do to deserve this? It feels like everything is against me." I cried still.

"No, My Lady. Not everything. The remaining Selected love you. I love you. Your parents love you." She continued to rock me back and forth. "Do you want to tell me how it happened, My Lady?"

Between the sobs and my slurry voice, I managed to tell her what happened. What I knew and what he told me. I hadn't wanted to believe him, but the little pink "plus" made it too real. I had to believe him. I had trusted him. He was my friend. My brother. But now he was my aggressor. And the father of my baby. I needed to puke again, but I contained myself.

I knew it would soon be time to go down for dinner, so I pulled myself together, and wiggled myself out of Anna's safe arms. "I need to change."

"Rosaline." Anna said. It was the first time I heard her say my name like that. "You don't have to do this. You just learned you were abused by your best friend and that you are carrying his baby. You can dine in your room."

"No, Anna. If I do, they will think something's wrong. I don't want anyone to know, yet, what happened. I have to go." I dried my cheeks and I chuckled humourlessly. "I'm afraid you'll have to do a miracle with my face." She laughed softly, too, and helped me stand up.

"My Lady. I never met a woman stronger than you. I'm proud to be your maid."

"You're not just my maid, Anna. You're my friend." I said hugging her. Even if she was a good ten years older than me, she was the closest thing to a friend I had.

She went to my walk-in closet and came back with a huge red dress.

"Do you really think this is appropriate? Everybody is going to look at me."

"This dress is perfect if you want to show that everything is alright. Just smile and I'll take care of the rest, okay?" I nodded. She made me take a quick shower and helped me slip in the strapless red tulle skirt gown. I sat in front of my mirror and checked the time: Anna had twenty minutes to do a miracle with my face and hair. She weaved pearls in my braided hairdo and applied make-up so that no one could have guessed I cried. Except for my reddish eyes. But neither Anna nor I could do something about that.

"If anyone asks why your eyes are red, just say you put soap in them by accident in the shower."

I laughed. "That's lame, Anna." She laughed with me, too.

"I know. Or you can say I put the make-up pencil in your eyes by mistake."

"No, I'll use the soap excuse. It's more believable then you trying to blind me." She giggled.

Two minutes before dinner time, I was ready. I looked beautiful. Even my red eyes were in harmony with my dress. I quickly slipped some black heels and thanked Anna one last time before going downstairs.

"You saved me, there Anna. How did you know?"

"I felt something was fishy and I kind of acted with my guts. I wasn't going to have my future Queen be crushed by a foreign Prince. I'm really glad I peed on that second stick, My Lady. I have no idea what we would have done without it."

I nodded, full of gratitude. "Thank you."

I didn't trust my legs to carry me all the way down, so I held on to the railing. Thank goodness Theo came out of his room when I was on the second floor and he gave me his arm. I held on to him with one hand, and lifted my skirt up with the other one so I wouldn't trip on it.

We entered the Dining Room both head high – for different reasons, though. Theo was proud, and I was hiding my broken heart and body. All mouths fell open as the boys saw me. Anna was right. This dress was perfect to show everything was alright. If anything, I could pass for being a little flirty in this colour. I just hoped they wouldn't take this as a sign to come flirt with me. I don't think I was ready to let a man touch me right now. I quickly thanked Theo and let go of his arm, heading to my chair.

"Wow, you look divine, Rose. I haven't seen this dress in a long time." Kate said when I was seated. I took my napkin and unfolded it on my lap.

"Thanks. Anna found it in the back on the closet."

"How could she hide something like this... It's huge!"

"I know." I shrugged. "But I have so many. I should probably get rid of some."

"No! Don't do that."

Besides, my rounding belly would not fit in any of the dresses soon enough. I'll need new ones. I tried to eat something, but the food seemed to get stuck in my throat. I helped it go down with some water – I was never drinking wine again, ever – and I forced myself to eat a little bit of every dish. My gaze slipped to the boys table, more than once, and each time one of them was staring at me with a small smile on his lips. Why was I wearing this dress again? Oh yeah: everything is fine. I put the smile on my face and waited for the dessert.

The footmen arrived with chocolate mousse, my favourite. But not the lightest dessert they could think of and I was afraid my stomach would not be able to process it. But everything was fine, so I forced the chocolate mousse down, one tiny spoonful at a time. I was the last one to finish my dessert. I dabbed my lips with a napkin and excused myself. I needed some fresh air so I headed outside.

I walked to the farthest place of the Gardens I could go. I know I was totally visible out there with my huge red dress, so I tried to stay behind some trees as best I could. My stomach heaved and I leaned on a tree to vomit my whole dinner at my feet. I thought I was alone, but someone was holding back my skirt so it wouldn't be ruined. A hand landed delicately on my back. I didn't know who it was, but I let him help me until I was finished puking. Talk about 'morning' sickness. I think my body was catching up on the last month where he hid the fact that I was pregnant.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a small voice.

I turned around and Westley was there, concern filling his face.

"Of course, I'm alright. What makes you say that?" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and walked away. I didn't want to talk to anyone, not even Westley.

"Rose, wait!" He grabbed my wrist and made me stop. "Please don't lie to me. Something is not right." He put his two hands on my shoulders and made me face him.

I quickly wiggled myself out of his touch. "Don't touch me. Please."

He frowned. "Tell me what's wrong, darling. I want to help you."

I hugged myself. "There's nothing you can do." I was afraid my voice would falter, and would give everything away in a minute. I closed my mouth shut tight and didn't move anymore. Maybe if I stayed still I wouldn't explode. Westley respected my wish not to be touched, but invited me to go sit on stone bench away from the stench of the vomit. I accepted and followed him. Thankfully, we were behind a group of high bushes and were hidden from the Palace.

"Does it have something to do with Prince Philippe?" He asked. How on earth did he manage to guess that? I frowned quizzically, still not trusting my voice and my mouth. I didn't want to say anything about what had happened.

"He was here a few hours ago, and now he's gone. What happened?"

I sighed. "He came to look for something. But since he didn't find it, we went back home."

He chuckled. "Can't he just call instead of coming unannounced?"

"He did, trust me. Two weeks ago."

"What was he looking for?"

"A wife." I said blankly.

Westley coughed. "Excuse me?" I nodded. Yes, you heard me. "You?" I nodded again, not making eye contact with him. "And you said no."

"Obviously."

"I'm sorry." He said putting his hand on my arm. But his hand felt like thorns and charcoals at the same time. Every touch was torture. How was I ever going to have a man touch me again? How was I ever going to trust a man again?

"I'm sorry, I have to go." I said as I stood and ran away, leaving him alone on the bench, not knowing what he had done wrong. But the problem was he hadn't done anything wrong. Phil had, and now Westley and the others were unconsciously paying for it. I felt terrible and fled to my room. I passed a lot of the boys wandering in the corridors, talking and whispering in small groups of two or three. I didn't even look at them and locked myself in my room. I stripped away my red gown and slipped into my pyjamas. I sat on my bed, but then jumped away from it, remembering that it was there that Phil had used and abused me. I would never sleep there again.

I recoiled on the floor, far away from my bed, and cried there. This room reeked of his filthy presence, put I had nowhere else to go. I took a couple pillows from the couch and the covers from my bed and fell asleep on the floor, my back against the wall, in a small puddle of tears, my arms wrapped protectively around my abdomen. Even though this baby was from Phil – whom I hated now – I already loved it. I was afraid of would happen next, but I would do anything to keep it. And I would marry the boy who would love it – him? her? – too.

I woke up the next morning with someone softly rubbing my cheek and hair. I opened my eyes and saw Anna sitting next to me on the floor, a small smile on her lips.

"I'm sure there are much more comfortable places to sleep for a pregnant woman, My Lady." She said with so much kindness in her voice.

I forced a chuckle out of my throat, but it came out as a sob and I started to cry. Again.

"What is happening to me, Anna?"

"Hormones, My Lady. I'm afraid you are going to go up and down in the next few months." She said still stroking my hair.

My stomach suddenly had a mind of his own and I ran to the bathroom, arriving just in time to puke in the toilet. But I had nothing left in my stomach so it was just bile.

"And that, too." She said, holding my hair away from my face.

When I was done, she helped me clean my face. "Anna, why didn't I have morning sickness sooner? I've been pregnant for a month."

"I don't know, My Lady. The body is sometimes a little bit weird. But I read an article, once about a little twelve year old girl who slept with her twelve year old boyfriend. Neither of them knew that it could start a pregnancy. Nine months later, when the little girl had increasing stomach cramps, her mother brought her to the hospital and it turned out she was pregnant."

"How could they not see?! Didn't she have a huge belly?"

"That's the thing. She didn't. Since her brain didn't know she could possibly be pregnant, her body didn't show it. Maybe it's the same thing with you. You had no idea you could be pregnant and so your body didn't show it. But now that you know, it's going to make a party of reminding you you're pregnant."

"Ugh. Great. How am I going to hide it to the world if I'm going to puke everyday?"

"We'll find a way. I promise. But in the meantime, you need to get ready. Your visit in Carolina is tomorrow. Today you need to prepare for it."

"Anna, you shouldn't be my maid. You should be my personal assistant." I said, stripping from my pyjamas and stepping in the shower.

"Oh, no. I couldn't. A Six is only a servant. I would have to be at least a Three to be a personal assistant."

"I'll ask father to make you a Three, then. But I have a new task for you, now. You need to find me a new maid as good as you. Then I'll promote you." I said with a tone with which she couldn't argue. Then I sighed. "But only if you want to. I don't want to force you into this."

She nodded, but didn't look at me. "Would you give me some time to think about it, My Lady?"

"Sure." I closed the shower door and the warm water flow over me. I felt dirty, unwholesome, unworthy and used. But this baby inside of me kept me from falling apart.

During the day, I showed up only for meals, pretending to eat, and then locked myself in Father's office to work on that visit to the Orphanage. In the evening, I didn't bother to talk to the three boys who would come with me. I just sent them a note saying to be ready, in the Limo, at dawn. And goodnight. We would all need a good night sleep before the visit.

Anna understood my need to sleep elsewhere than in my bed, so she had it removed and replaced by a queen-size bed from one of the guest rooms. I would have a new room to share with my future husband anyway, so it was no use changing everything in this one, now. It would be a few more weeks.

Yes, I know, mom told me to take it slow now with the Selection. But with this tiny baby on the way, I needed to find a husband, and fast. If Philippe found out that I had lied to him and that I was pregnant with his baby before I could cover it up with my future husband, it would be World War 5. And I didn't want to be in the centre of it.

Like Princess Helena in the Greek Mythology. She had been the reason for the Trojan War. I didn't want to be the reason for the fifth World War.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **So, what did you think of this chapter? Surprised? ;-)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you had the reaction I wanted you to h** **ave^^**

 _ **Chapter 29**_

Monday morning, five a.m., we were all in the Limo heading to the airport. I was wearing a pair of black slacks with a light blue blouse and black heels, with a light beige vest. The boys were all wearing shorts, t-shirts and loafers or Converses. I was dreading the whole ride. But I had prepared everything. I gave them a small stack of papers on the Orphanage and laws on adoption and things like that. I hoped they would read it and not talk to me. I took some papers to read, too, but it wasn't on the same subject. Mine was about Heirs, inheritance, adopting babies and laws on children conceived out of wedlock. I was careful not to show them my papers.

When we arrived at the airport, I packed my papers back in my folder and we all headed for the plane, which took off minutes later. I had let them enter first, so they were all seated together. I went in the back, alone. I still wasn't ready to talk to any of them. I was reading a law article on rightful Heirs when Axel walked down the corridor to me.

"May I sit here, Rosaline?" he pointed to the seat next to me. I couldn't say no.

"Sure." I tucked the papers under my seat.

"I noticed you were a little down yesterday. We didn't see much of you."

"Yeah, sorry." I shrugged. "I had your papers to prepare and a lot of things to read for the visit. Being a Princess is not Disneyland everyday. With the Selection going on, I found myself behind in most of my work."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. Is there anyway I can help?" he asked genuinely.

"Well, today we are going to spend the whole day with those children. We'll arrive after their breakfast. But then, we're going to do everything with them: school, lunch, homework, play time, dinner, and to bed. We'll be leaving after all of them are put to bed. So what I need you to do – the three of you actually- is to just follow the kids and just do whatever they want and tell you to do. If they want to play soccer, just kick the ball with them. If a little one has trouble eating, help him out. We're going to try to be in their shoes for the day."

"Sounds perfect." He said with a big grin on his face.

"You like children?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I have a lot of cousins, and my older sister is pregnant with their first baby. So I better have the hang of it before they have him."

"A little boy?" I was suddenly afraid I would collapse right in front of him. Did he have to talk about his pregnant sister?

"Yeah! They're still debating on the name. My sister wants to call him Cedric, but her husband prefers Philip."

"Cedric. Tell them to choose Cedric." I stood. "I'm sorry." and headed to the toilet. Why did everything have to remind me of him? Good thing Anna had made me take some make up if I cried. I stayed locked in the bathroom until I was finished crying and had put some make-up back on. It wasn't as good as when Anna did it, but it would have to do. When I came back, Axel was gone, next to Caleb again. I felt terrible. They were all paying for what someone else had done.

An hour before landing, breakfast was served. I managed to eat some and keep it down. Anna had stolen some anti-puking medicine in the Infirmary, and I had taken it. Today was not a day for that.

I watched the ocean coming closer and closer from my window. It was beautiful. It reminded me of my date at the beach with Nigel. So far, it was the best time of the Selection. I had no idea if I could ever do that again, but I would cherish this memory for the rest of my life. I smiled and rested my head against the cool window. When we landed, we were far from the sea: it was nowhere to be seen. I left my papers and worries in the plane, hidden from everyone. Today was a new day, and I had an Orphanage to visit. I'd think of my baby tonight, when I'd be alone in my new bed.

A black Limo was waiting for us and we drove to the Orphanage – a twenty minute drive – and I tried to take part in the conversation. But it worked. I totally put aside my own problems and focused on the task ahead.

The Orphanage was an old red and white Ranch next to a small lake, with white fences all around the property. A few set of swings and slides were scattered around the house, with picnic tables here and there. This place was so nice. I think if I had a second life, I would want to live here. A forest surrounded the eastern part and thick trees protected the place. It was ten in the morning and they were all in class. Mrs Benett, the director, welcomed us on the porch with lemonade. I was so happy to be here without a TV crew. There was only one photographer – Alice – and I would see the pictures before anything went public. Father had chosen her specifically for the visits, and she couldn't do anything without mine or his consent.

"The children are in class, but they should come out in" – she checked her watch – "ten minutes for recess." Mrs Benett said.

"Good! I can't wait to meet them." Caleb said, rubbing his hands together.

"How many children do you have here?" I asked.

"We have twelve between five months old and two years old, ten between three and seven, and fifteen between eight and twelve years old. So that's thirty-seven all in all, with seven teachers, five youth group leaders and three childcare workers, plus me. This house holds fifty-three people."

"Wow. And how long do children stay here?" Westley asked.

"Some are lucky and are adopted rather quickly – three or four months after they came in – and some of the oldest have been here since they were babies. This is their family." She motionned to the house.

My heart hurt for those kids. They had a whole bunch of brothers and sisters, here, but no one to call mom or dad. "And what happens when they reach twelve years old and haven't been adopted?" I asked.

Mrs Benett sighed. "We send them to another orphanage for teenagers. It's always heart breaking to send them there. We try all we can to have them adopted. And we feel it like a total failure when we send them to an Orphanage rather than to a family. Our hope is to have them adopted before they turn twelve."

I frowned. There must be couples who can't have children or families who want to do something good. "Can only people from Carolina adopt a child here, or can anyone come?"

"Anyone. But we mostly have Carolina families. We don't have enough publicity. I know it's terrible to say that: these kids are not for sale, but maybe if more people in Illéa knew about this place and all these children dreaming for a home, we wouldn't have to send them with the big kids. They get bullied, but there's nothing we can do about it. They're not under our responsibility anymore." Mrs Benett looked a bit defeated.

Alice was next to us, and I motioned to her. "Rest assured, Mrs Benett, that we will do our possible to promote this place and get more people to know about it." If it's not a catastrophe like the Prison, I didn't add, though.

Just then, the bell rang, and a flood of kids ran out into the playground. The swings and slides were quickly occupied, and the small soccer field, too. They didn't see us. I watched them laugh, and shriek, and run, and kick a ball, and fall, and cry. I was leaning on one of the wooden columns supporting the porch roof when I heard Westley whisper in my ear.

"I like it better when you smile like that, darling. I hope these children lift your spirits up."

I chuckled. "They do. I just wish I could de something for them."

"You're here, and that's something big for them." He paused. "And you can always adopt one, if you want. The people might follow your lead."

"I'd like that. But I'm not sure the people would do the same. Some are struggling enough as it is with their own families."

"You're right. You'll find a solution. You always do." He said, walking away to one of the little boys who was alone on a bench. I smiled as I imagined their conversation going on. I looked for Caleb and Axel – Caleb was kicking a ball with some boys, and Axel was pushing two little girls at the same time on the swings. My heart swelled with love for them. But so did the tears. Anna had warned me I would go up and down real fast.

"You really have a nice bunch of Selected, Your Highness." Mrs Benett said, standing next to me. "I'm glad you took Sir Westley with you. He's our favourite around here." She chuckled. "The girls thinks he's the cutest. He's going to have some little fangirls here, and among the adults, too."

I chuckled through my tears, and dried my cheeks. "Yeah, he's one of my favourites, too. But don't tell anyone." I warned her playfully.

She laughed. "I won't, I promise." We both laughed and watched the boys play with the children. A young teacher came in with a wailing baby in her arms.

"Mrs Benett, could you please hold her for a minute, I haven't had the chance to go to the bathroom, yet, this morning." She was dancing a little.

I jumped in with a grin on my lips. "Let me take her." The teacher hadn't seen me, and curtsied.

"Your Majesty."

"Oh please. Not here. Give me the baby." I said laughing. She smiled and handed me the tiny wailing girl. I walked on the porch, trying to make her calm down. I gave her my pinkie to suck on, and she immediately stopped crying. I sat on the stairs. "What's her name?"

"Lilian. But we call her Lily." Mrs Benett answered. "She's the youngest here. She's four months old. We fell in love with her, so we took her in despite her age."

"Lily." I repeated as I looked at the baby's cute pink face. I looked over at the children having fun in the sun, when I saw Westley gazing at me with a smile on his lips. I saw a ball coming his way and winced as I saw it land on his head. Axel had called 'heads up!' but Westley hadn't heard it, too engrossed by something else – me? Maybe.

I laughed and it made Lily jump in fear, and she started crying again. I stood and walked down the steps and to the playground. A whole group of little girls came running around me.

"It's the Princess!"

"Look! It's her!"

"She has Lily in her arms!"

"She's so pretty!"

I laughed and squatted to be at eye-level with them. "Hello, Ladies." I said with a grin on my face. They all gasped and grinned.

"We're Ladies?" One asked in awe.

"You sure are. Every girl is a Lady."

"Wow!" The same girl said.

"Why aren't you wearing a tiara?" Another asked, a concerned frown on her lovely face.

I smiled, Lily still sucking on my pinkie. "Because I don't need one. Besides. They're not really comfortable to wear. They have a tendency to sink in my head. But, if you come with me, I have a surprise for you." I stood and walked back to the porch, the little girls on my heels. With Lily in one arm, I managed to open my bag and pulled out a tiara – fake, of course – and held it out. "I have one of these for every girl here, to show the people around you that you are a Lady."

They all squealed with joy as I gave each a tiara. They ran around the playground showing them to everyone, and other girls came, too, for their tiara. Little boys came along as well, and I had bowties for every one of them. They were all so proud to wear it and walked head high, sticking out their chest. I laughed at the sight. I wanted to adopt every child here. Hormones. Calm down, Rosaline.

Alice was snapping pictures, and I couldn't wait to see them. Too soon, the bell rang again, and the children lined up two by two and went back to their classes. Mrs Benett led us to different classrooms – Axel with the older ones, Caleb with the toddlers, Westley with the first graders, and me with the middle class. Lily had fallen asleep in my arms so I kept her all morning against me, sitting in the back of the classeroom, listening to an Illéan Geography lesson.

At noon, the bell rang agaig, jerking Lily from her sleep. I changed her position in my arms and reluctantly hd to give her back to the young teacher who had Lily before. I met up with the boys.

"So, how was your lesson?"

"We did math, and I could help some who had trouble." Axel said.

"Well, toddlers are toddlers. We just played and fooled around." Caleb said with a big smile.

"Mine were learning to read." Westley said. "It was really cute. How about yours?" he asked me.

"Well, I had an Illéan Geography lesson with Lily in my arms. She slept the whole time until the bell rang."

"Nice." Caleb said, grimacing. "I don't know if I could had stayed an hour and a half without moving with a sleeping baby in my arms." We all laughed. No, Caleb could not do that.

We followed the kids to the dining room, where five long tables were waiting for us all. We placed ourselves at the end of the line and waited to get our food. I had specifically asked that they didn't change anything for us. We wanted to live a real day with them, do the things they did and eat the food they ate.

After lunch we all went outside. Since it was the middle of the summer, they only had classes in the morning – yes, because what would they do with them for three months all day long? In the afternoon, games and activities were organized. There was painting, swimming in the lake, soccer, napping, board games, playing on the playground, etc. They could choose what they wanted to do and had to stick with it all afternoon.

Caleb decided to join the swimming team. Of course, he hadn't taken his swimmsuit, so he stripped to his underwear and jumped in the water with the kids.

"Seriously?" Axel asked. "There are going to be pictures of this!"

"Nah, don't worry." Alice said, walking by. "I'll just take pictures of his uper body. No one will know he's only in underwear." she chuckled and snapped pictures.

"Axel, what are you going to do?" I asked him.

"Hmm. I think I'm going to go with the painters." and he walked away.

"And you?" I asked Westley.

"Is there a Princess group?" he asked, grinning widely.

I lifted an eyebrow. "Not today. But maybe some other time." I winked and walked away to the board game group. I played monopoly all afternoon with the older kids. It was really fun! But I lost. Apparently I don't know how to use my money wisely. Ironic, isn't it?

Then we ate dinner with them – potatoes, ham and salad – and I spent the evening reading books to the little ones. A little girl was leaning against me and fell asleep during the last book. Mrs Benett ordered everyone to bed, and we helped out, of course. I carried the little sleeping girl to her bed. I gently took off her clothes and put her pyjamas on. She was so pretty with her wavy brown hair and long dark eyelashes.

"Her name's Catherine." whispered one of the youth group leaders over my shoulder. I stood and walked away with her. "She'll be thrilled when I tell her, tomorrow morning, that the Princess herself put her to bed." She said smiling. "Thank you for your help, Your Highness."

I smiled. "It was a pleasure. Please tell Catherine that she was the cutest sleeping girl in this house." The woman giggled.

"I will." she said.

We joined the adults in the living room, where tea, coffee and cakes were wating for us. Axel and Westley were on a three person couch, but took the whole thing for themselves. There were only some chairs left, and I sat on one of them. Alice was still snapping some pictures of the evening.

"Mrs Benett, we had a great time. Well, at least I did." I said. It was time to leave, but I wanted to stay here forever.

"Yeah, we had a great time, too." Axel said, nudging Westley in the ribs.

"Yeah, we did." he piped in.

I laughed and shook my head. "Please excuse them, it was a long day for them, they're not used to be around kids."

"Hey, that's not true!" Axel said. I laughed and stood.

"Thank very much for your hospitality and the good time, Mrs Benett."

"Thank you for coming all the way here, Your Majesty. It was a pleasure, and the kids adore you."

"Aww. They were all sweet." After saying good-bye to everyone, we headed back to the Limo, and back to the airport. Again, I let them enter first and sit wherever they wanted, so I could sit alone. I had a lot of information to process and I needed the peacefulness that the plane engine usually brought me. I sat against the window and looked at the Carolina lights drop under us as the plane took off.

I must have dozed off, because when I jerked awake, Westley was sitting next to me, gazing at me with a small smile on his lips.

"I didn't want to scare you, sorry." he whispered. "The others are asleep, it's just you and me." He took my hand in his, and it suddenly all came back to me at once, like a punch in the stomach. I pulled my hand away and looked out the window in the dark.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he gently asked.

"Nothing." I still gazed outside, looking at his reflection in the window. I didn't want to hurt him, but I wasn't ready, just yet, to let him touch me and to trust him.

"It's not nothing. Why are you recoiling at my touch? Did I do something wrong?" I could hear the hurt in his voice.

"Westley, I'm sorry. And no, you didn't do anything wrong." I wanted him to hold me. I wanted to trust him. My brain wanted it. But my body didn't. So I forced it.

"Can you just don't ask any questions, please? And wrap your arm around me?"

He smiled. "Sure." He looped his arm around my shoulders and I instinctively rested my head on his shoulder. I don't know why I felt so safe in his embrace. My body slowly relaxed and I fell asleep. I didn't even wake up when the plane landed. When I woke up, the Limo was entering the Palace grounds and it was two in the morning. Westley had my black folder on his lap, with some papers sticking out. That made me completely wake up. I snatched the folder from his hands and held it tight against me. I hoped he didn't read anything.

The Limo stopped in front of the entrance stairs and we all walked back inside. "Good night." I said with a tired smile on my face. "And thanks for coming with me today. And sorry for my weird behavior. These visit tend to stress me out a little." I chuckled softly and walked up the stairs to my room. As soon as the door was closed, I opened my folder to see if any paper was misplaced or missing. But everything seemed to be in order. I sighed, relieved. I stripped from my outfit and slipped in my pyjamas, falling asleep swiftly.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Hope you liked this chapter, too. it was less tense than the 2 previous ones, but I guess if all the chapters were as tense as those, we wouldn't be able to sleep, right? ;-)**

 **Please review and tell me what you think =) Thanks!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Oh, my goodnes, sorry for the extra long chapter. it was suppose to be two chapters, but i didn't know where to split it in two... LOL! Hope you like it ;-)  
**

 **Thanks for the reviews, as always: I love reading them, and I get all fuzzy inside when i read them, with a huge grin on my face^^ So please keep them coming in, it makes my day!**

 ** _Chapter 30_**

All right. I needed a husband, and fast. I would give myself until the next _Report_ to date the three remaining boys, closing on to the Elite on Friday evening. I just hoped I wouldn't suffer too much from my pregnancy – ups and downs, retching, and unstable hormones. I decided no one would know, not even my parents. The only person who would know what happened and who did it – besides Anna, of course – would be the One, at the end. So I still had time to think about the way I was going to announce it to him. I know it would be awkward, but I was not going to start my marriage based on a lie.

I spent the Tuesday morning going through the pictures with Alice. There were so many to choose from! We decided on the ones we were going to show on the _Report_ , and the ones I wanted to keep for myself. I decided to do a photo album from the whole Selection, and so I also looked for ones from the past month to put them in it.

After lunch, I waited for Aaron to come out of the Dining Room.

"Aaron?"

"Yes, My Lady?" he said with a sly grin.

"I was wondering if you'd like to spend some time with me tonight."

"As in a date?" he said eagerly.

"Yes. Let's have dinner together outside in the Gardens. Would you like that?"

"I would very much. I'm afraid I can't come pick you up on the third floor, though." He winked and chuckled. "Where would you want to meet?"

I chuckled, too. "No, you can't. I'll pick you up, then, at six thirty."

"I'll be waiting for you." He took my hand and kissed the back of it, sparkles in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

I nodded and walked away. His hand on mine again felt like a burn. My body still was refusing any masculine touch. But my brain knew I had to let them come close. I would suffer: it was the only way to find the one I truly loved and who loved me, too. It felt like I was doing it the wrong way, but it was the only way. Phil had broken me, and now I had to walk head high, holding the pieces together, trying not to let them crumble and scatter around me. If that happened, I would never forgive myself and live my whole life known as the whore who was carrying a bastard. What a terrible word for such a tiny innocent baby. Instinctively, I put my hand on my abdomen.

I didn't realize I was walking outside, and a group of boys was coming towards me. I quickly let go of my belly. I'd have to be more careful in the future not to do that again in public. It was a gesture common to pregnant women. I remember mom doing it often when she was pregnant with Maggie.

"So, how was the visit yesterday?" Evan asked.

"Splendid. The children were so cute and full of life; and the director and teachers were great." I smiled at the memory.

"You bet the children were cute." Axel said. "She wanted to adopt them all!"

I chuckled and they all joined me in laughter.

"One in particular, I think." Caleb said.

I smirked. "Really? Who?"

"Rose, didn't you carry a baby girl for like three hours straight in your arms?" He said with a grin.

"She was asleep. I couldn't just put her down like this." I defended myself, even though he was totally right.

"Yeah right. You were pretty happy about it." Caleb chuckled and Axel smiled, too.

"Okay, fine. Yes, she was the cutest little girl in the world. You happy?" I pouted playfully.

He nodded.

"I don't think I can imagine you with a baby in your arms. You're a bit young to be a mother, aren't you?" Michael asked.

"I am, yes." But I already am, I wanted to add.

"I can assure you she was born to hold babies in her arms." Axel saved me. I felt my throat tighten, and the tears threatening to come. I swallowed them and forced a smile. "Thank you, Axel." I really meant it. These few words were just what I needed right now, but he had no idea.

"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have to go." I knew if I stayed longer and talked about children and babies and adopting, I would cry and all the broken pieces would fall. I headed to my room, to be alone. Anna was rearranging my closet.

"Anna, we need to get rid of some dresses."

"Why, My Lady?" Anna frowned. "They are all perfectly fine."

"I know. But my belly will by growing in the next months, and I don't want to ask for new dresses if I already have so many."

"But you'll be able to wear them again once you have your baby."

I shrugged. "Maybe not. I've read about women who have kept their extra pounds gained during pregnancy."

"Well, we don't know that, yet."

I sighed and gave in. "Fine. But let's still put some of them away during the pregnancy, even if it means taking them back later. I just need to declutter my dresses, now."

"Very well, My Lady." Anna capitulated.

We worked on that for the rest of the afternoon. "I need dresses that don't fit closely around my abdomen. Do I have some Empire waist dresses?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Yes, I think you do. Let me see." She rummaged through the pile of dresses on the floor and pulled out a light blue silk Empire waist gown.

"Perfect. Put it aside, please. I'll wear it tonight for my date with Aaron. Could you see with the seamstresses to make a few like this?"

"Sure." Anna said, pulling out the red tulle skirt gown I had worn the other night. "What about this one?"

I chuckled. "Oh, I'm keeping this one in case I have another bad day where everyone needs to think all is right." She chuckled, too.

At five o'clock, Anna prepared a rose petal bath for me. I tried to relax and focus on myself for the time being. I stared at my stomach. How could a tiny child be there? I couldn't see any changes. Yet I couldn't see the changes, but I could feel them. Something inside of me started to bloom slowly, like a flower in the spring, when the last snow had finally vanished. Was it love? Motherhood? Pride that I could conceive and produce an Heir? Maybe all three at the same time, although I was mostly leaning towards love and motherhood.

Anna knocked on the door. "My Lady? It's time to get out and get dressed."

"All right, I'm coming, thank you." I stood, towelled myself, and pulled on my bath robe. Anna helped me put on the light blue silk dress and tied the dark blue ribbon in my back. Then she made a large fishtail braid with pearls woven into it, and placed it over my shoulder. I don't know how she always managed to do something amazing with me. I think I would just be wearing potato sacks everyday if she wasn't here.

I slipped on some white heels, thanked Anna and headed down to the second floor, to Aaron's room, and knocked.

Aaron himself opened the door with a wide smile that lifted his turquoise blue eyes in the most handsome way. "Good evening, Rose." He chuckled and held out his tie in front of him. "Wow, my tie is even matched to your dress. Great minds think alike."

I giggled. "They sure do."

He gave me his arm, which I forced my arm to take – it was still a burning touch. Maybe with some exercise, I would forget about the pain. "Where to?" He asked.

"Outside. I've had a table set under the willow tree."

He led me outside, and I led him to the tree. A table for two was prepared with a white tablecloth, candles to repel the mosquitoes and some small white lanterns were dancing in the branches with the wind. It was very romantic, and I hoped this evening would help me forget momentarily about my freshly broken person.

He pulled out one of the chairs and invited me to sit. Then he sat on the other one, opposite from me.

"I just wanted to tell you that you look sublime tonight. There is this glow about you, that I can't really put my finger on. But it suits you very well." He said, gazing at me with a shy smile.

"Thank you. I haven't worn this dress in ages, but I wanted a little bit of change."

"I have to say it's my favourite, so far."

"Thank you. So, tell me: you're an actor. When did you start acting?" I wanted to turn the conversation on him, hoping it would distract me from me.

"Um, I had my first role at the age of six. It wasn't a major role, but important enough to be noticed. And then it just spiralled after that."

"Wow. Lucky you. And what kind of movies do you do? I must have seen a couple with you in it, but I don't remember."

"I play in all kinds of movies, but my favourites are Musicals. I think musicals bring much more emotions than normal movies."

"You're a singer." It was more of a statement than a question.

"And a dancer. But please don't ask me to dance and sing for you right now."

I smiled slyly. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "I'm rather on the shy side. I don't mind being around cameras, but don't really do it for people."

I chuckled. "Not even for your Princess?"

"I hope I don't have to." he said, not looking at me. Okay, this was being awkward. Thankfully, a footman arrived with our dinner and the subject was closed.

"What about you? What do you do in your free time?" He asked. "I've been around you for a month, but I feel I don't really know you."

Great. Now the subject was me again. "Um, I usually don't get a lot of free time. This Selection has been pretty different from my usual schedule – and I won't complain. The little free time I have I like to spend it with my sisters. I'm kind of a family person. I don't have a lot of friends outside the Palace walls; that's why we're so close. Do you have any brothers or sisters, Aaron?"

"Yeah, one younger sister, Nathalie." He said smiling. "I'd do anything for her." He chuckled. "She was so jealous when I was Selected, I thought she would hate me forever. But she wrote to me a couple times, asking me for every single detail of my stay here." He smiled again. "You'd like her."

"How old is she?"

"Fifteen."

"Just like my sister Rachel." I missed her. And I was suddenly afraid of what would happen to her in France, under the same roof than Phil. Was Fréd like his brother? Would he also go to no end to get what he wanted, like everything was granted to him, even what was not his?

"Are you alright, Rosaline?" Aaron pulled me out of my miserable thoughts.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired. Yesterday's visit finished late; we were back here at two in the morning, and I didn't sleep much. I'm sorry." How long still will I have to lie to the world?

"Totally understandable. Don't worry." He smiled, and resumed eating; I did, too.

We talked about this and that, but nothing too personal, thank goodness. I had some trouble picturing him singing and dancing in front of cameras, when in reality he was shy and quiet. I didn't mind the quiet. After dinner, we wandered in the Gardens, saying only a few words. The crickets talked for us, and we were perfectly okay with that. It felt good to be with someone with whom you didn't need to always find something to talk about. Especially when you didn't want to talk, knowing that you could cry or burst at any given time.

We gently headed back to the Palace and we walked up the stairs up to the second floor, stopping in front of his door.

"Aaron, thank you for this pleasant evening. I'm sorry I wasn't very talkative, though." I made an apologetic face.

"Don't worry about that. I'm not talkative either. And it felt good to just be together without needing to talk. So, thank you." he said, smiling.

"Good night." I said, planting a light kiss on his cheek and walking away to my room. Today was over, and I needed to get some rest before the next day. I slipped out of the silk dress and into my pyjamas and fell swiftly asleep, a hand on my abdomen.

Anna woke me up the next morning by opening the curtains and letting the sun in. but I was nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. Until now, I had managed to do so in a toilet somewhere. I hoped it would still happen in the future. Imagine vomiting on one of the guys or in the middle of the hall? No, that would be a catastrophe.

She helped me get dressed and I went down for breakfast, still a bit nauseous. I discreetly took my anti-puking pill with a glass of water. Then I pretended to eat a little, while gazing at the boys. Nigel was looking at me, so were Evan, Westley and Logan. The other were either occupied to down their breakfast, or had their back to me. Two more days before choosing the Elite. This was starting to stress me out, but I had to move forward. Baby was growing and he – her? – needed a rightful father.

I locked myself all day in Father's office to work – or _pretend_ to work. I tried to be as normal as possible and was careful not to touch my belly too much. I lost myself in reports and articles. I even read the newspapers to see what was said about me, the Selection and the boys. Apparently, Westley, Nigel and Evan – even though he was a Seven – were the people's favourites. It didn't surprise me the least. They were handsome and had a certain charm any girl would fall for. May it be for Nigel's cognac eyes, Westley's messy chocolate hair or Evan's impish smile that invited you to laugh with him, whatever the subject.

After dinner, that evening, I went looking for Theo. He was not in the Men Parlour, nor was he in his room. I finally found him in the Gardens, on a bench with a small leather-bound book on his lap and an ink pen in his hand. His pale blond hair shone in the evening light. I smiled and walked to him, careful to have him see me coming – I didn't want to scare him. When he lifted his head, he saw me and smiled.

"Rosaline! Come sit here." he invited me, patting the bench next to him.

"Theo, I've been looking all over for you." I told him, careful to enunciate my words.

"Oh, really? Why?"

I smiled slyly. "Because I wanted to spend some time with you, that's all." I shrugged.

"Oh, good." He closed his book, hiding his pen inside.

"What are you writing?" I motioned to his notebook.

He shrugged. "Nothing important. Just some ridiculous stories and poems."

I needed to laugh right now and distract myself. "Can you read one to me? Please?"

"Read to you? No. It's way too stupid." he waved the mere thought away and stuffed his book in his vest pocket.

"Please, Theo? I want to laugh. I need to hear something funny."

He sighed. "Fine. But I warn you, I'm not a good writer." He pulled out his book and opened it, looking for a specific page. "All right, might as well get it over with. This is a poem I wrote a few days ago for you, although I never thought I'd read it to you. You can laugh, but only at the end, okay?"

I nodded.

"Okay, here we go." He breathed in deeply before reading.

" _My Little Star:_

 _When I wish upon a star_

 _I do not have to look too far_

 _'cause sitting right next to me_

 _shining bright and true_

 _is the loveliest star I ever knew,_

 _It's true stars are gassy,_

 _They tend to twinkle and fade_

 _but my little star for eternity was made_

 _I know your flaws,_

 _You surely know mine_

 _but like stars in the sky_

 _our love will burn up the night!_ "

"Aww Theo, that is so sweet, and not ridiculous at all. I love it"

"You do?" He said, not believing me.

"Yes. Would read it again? Please?" I asked him, a hand on his arm.

He obliged. This poem was really sweet, and I fell in love with it. I don't know how these boys could do it, but between him and Axel the previous day, they managed to find the exact words that would start help heal my heart.

"Do you prefer to be alone?"

"It depends. I like being around people, but it's tedious work, because I have to lip-read all day, and when several people are speaking at the same time, I can barely follow the conversation. So I'm kind of left alone to try and guess at what happens. I just need some alone time to recharge my batteries."

"But aren't the others careful about you? I've seen Michael help around on the _Report_."

"Oh, they do. For a while, but then they forget about it. Once in a while, Michael on another one remembers me and tells the others to slow down and talk one at a time. It works for some time, but then it starts all over again."

"I'm sorry to hear that." And I truly was.

He shrugged. "I'm used to it. But if it gets too intense, I can easily have panic attacks and breakdowns. I managed not to have any, here, for now. But it was close once or twice."

"I can't believe I never saw that." I was pained to hear it. I wish I could have known this earlier.

"You couldn't have. I was careful to go hide away in my room when it was happening. I didn't really want anyone to know, actually."

"Theo, can I ask you something personal? You don't have to answer."

"Okay."

"Were you born deaf or did it happen later?"

"Later. I had an accident when I was like six years old, leaving me almost completely deaf."

"Oh, so you can still hear something?"

"Only extremely loud noises, like explosions or if you scream in my ear. But that's all."

I didn't know what to say, so we just sat there, in the silent evening. The sky was becoming pink and purple, the fireflies were buzzing around us, making small light trails that vanished as soon as they were made. Birds were still singing in the nearby trees and I was sad Theo couldn't here them.

"Would you want me to read something else?" He asked me out of the blue.

I nodded. "I'd like that."

"Okay. That's the one I was writing when you came.

 _"_ _Your love is better than chocolate_

 _or an intoxicating wine,_

 _It's better than cinnamon_

 _I have to make you mine!_

 _Your love is better than caramel_

 _or any liqueur filled truffle,_

 _It's better than hazelnut,_

 _Oh, I love you double!_

 _Your love is better than lush berries_

 _or a ripe, succulent peach,_

 _It's better than sugar,_

 _My heart's within your reach!_

 _Your love is better than sangria_

 _or a sweet, fizzy lemonade,_

 _It's better than any nectar_

 _for you, my heart was made!_ "

I giggled. "I love it, too! It's very refreshing, Theo. Thank you."

He ripped the page out of his book, and gave it to me. Then, he looked for the Star poem and ripped that page out, too.

"Are you sure you want me to have them?" I said with the papers in my hands.

"Yes. They were meant for you, anyway." he smiled.

I smiled, too. His brown eyes and soft lips invited me to kiss him. I wish I could have. But my body was refusing to move, even though my brain was ordering it to do so. There was a strong battle inside of me, which caused us to stay in an awkward silence.

Man, I was glad when he made the move, instead of me. His lips brushed against mine and I could feel his poems through his kiss. Light, gentle, funny – he was smiling against my lips – and full of sweet love. Just like chocolate, cinnamon, caramel and hazelnuts.

I broke the kiss – my lips burning – and I thanked him for the poems, his time and the sweet kiss before going back inside. I hated to finish a date like this – almost running away – but I still wasn't ready for more, yet.

I walked up to my room, only to find a small paper on the floor near the door. I picked it up, unfolded it and read it: _'Darling, if you need to talk, I'm here. W.'_ What on earth was he talking about? I preciously kept the note in my nightstand drawer – with other things from the Selection: Theo's poems and some pictures – and went to bed.

The next morning, again I ran to the bathroom to vomit. When would this end? I went to breakfast and ate a little something, and downed it with black tea. Then I worked with Father again. I was slowly catching up on my schedule. I don't know how I managed to not say anything about Phil or the baby, even to mom or Kate – only Anna knew for now – and that in itself was a miracle.

After lunch, I pulled Kurt aside and asked him if he wanted to spend some time with me during the afternoon.

"Yes, I'd like that." he said with a shy smile.

"Okay, I'll come and get you in a couple hours, okay? I need to work a bit more today, but after that, I'll be free."

He nodded. "I'll be waiting for you, then." he walked away to his room. I went back to my room and made myself comfortable on my couch and read some articles and Law pieces on rape and babies, and other things like that. I was quite engrossed in it all and almost forgot the time. I quickly checked my reflection in the mirror and replaced a few wild strands that got away from my hairdo, and headed for Kurt's room.

I knocked and he opened bare chest and towelling his wet hair.

"Oh, um... Am I too early?" I asked.

"No, not at all. I lost track of the time, sorry. I went for a run and wanted to take a quick shower before our date."

I smiled. "Very considerate, thank you." I chuckled.

He chuckled too, and invited me to sit on the armchair while he finished getting ready. I remember the first time I saw him bare chest – the first group-date in the swimming pool – and it had struck me at how thin he was, but now he seemed much more healthy. And very handsome to look at, actually. Cut it, Rose. You're not here for that! Right.

He pulled on a light blue shirt and was about to put a tie on. "Oh, you don't have to wear a tie or a vest. It's too warm outside for that."

He smiled. "As you wish, My Lady." But I could tell he was happy about it. "I'm ready, then." He opened the door for me and we walked out to the Gardens.

"Is there anything in particular that you want to do or see?" I asked him.

"No, we can just wander about if you like. But I just wanted to tell you how happy I am you went to visit an orphanage the other day. I went in one of those, too, for five years. And that's kind of why I didn't want to come with you. I didn't want the memories to resurface."

I frowned. "You were in an orphanage? But I thought you were the sole provider for your siblings."

"I am now. My parents died when I was twelve. When I turned eighteen, I got out of the orphanage, found a job as a construction worker, and bought a small apartment. Then I got my five brothers and sisters out of that wretched place and took them with me. I had an agreement with the director: none of us were getting adopted separately. If we had to be adopted, it was all of us at the same time by the same couple. But try adopting six children at once. No one wanted to. It was kind of my plan, though. I wanted to take them back with me, and be a family again. It worked for some time, but the job I have doesn't pay enough. You can't even begin to imagine how happy I was to be Selected. I knew the money would help us, and I hoped you wouldn't send me home too soon." He half-smiled and looked at me sideways.

"Wow. I had no idea. But who's looking after your brothers and sisters while you're here?"

"My sister Lisa. She's a year and a half younger than me, and she just finished school. Now she works as a horse groom for a family of Twos. She started a couple months ago and she wrote to me that she liked it. Her boss is nice enough, but the money is not much either. I guess any job as a Seven has bad money." He shrugged.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I really hope you'll have enough with the Selection money to help you in the future. I'll try to keep you as long as I can." I promised him.

"You would do that?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. You don't really know me. Soon you are going to be choosing the Elite. I don't feel I'm worthy enough to be one."

I smiled and looped my arm around his. "Anyone is worthy enough to be an Elite. But you're right. I don't know you well. But here's what I propose: I'll keep you in the Elite as long as possible, but you won't be the One."

He chuckled. "Okay. Anyway, I don't think I could be the One, either. But thank you. You know, most people out there don't know you have a very generous heart. What they see is only what you want to show them on the screen or in the newspapers. But I'm sure that if they saw you everyday and how you always try to give the people the best you can, they'd all be falling on their knees in front of you, demanding that you ascend the Throne as soon as possible."

"Oh, gosh. No. I really don't want that. First of all, I'm not a god: people shouldn't kneel before me; and second, I hope to have some time of married life before becoming Queen." And with a baby already on the way, I would really need a few years of respite in the ruling thing. "But thank you for the compliment; it goes straight to my heart."

"Any time." He said with a chuckle. We continued to stroll in the Gardens until dinner time. And guess what? Without Anna outside to tell me it was time to change, I totally forgot and went to dinner in my day dress. I put that on the unstable hormones, and kicked myself mentally for it, promising myself to be more careful in the future.

Now that I had spent some time with every young man, I could close the Selection to the Elite.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Who do you think is going to be in the Elite? ;-) ta-da-da ...*Suspense*...**


	32. Chapter 32

**Da-da-da... here comes what you're all waiting for: THE ELITE! yay! thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter ;-)**

 _ **Chapter 31**_

Friday, day of the _Report_. And this would be something big. Anna brought me an impressive night blue strapless floor length gown, with tiny diamonds sewn in the full skirt. I had asked for a special dress to announce the Elite. When Maggie saw me, her mouth dropped.

"You look like the night sky, with millions of stars!" She came closer, inspectig the diamonds. "Are these real?" she asked in awe, but with a hint of jealousy.

"Yes. They're real." I sighed. It was beautiful, but I had no idea what the seamstresses would do to make an even more impressive one for the proposal and for the Wedding, after this one. It was the most expensive and exquisite dress I had ever worn, I think. But then, they were magicians and could do anything with a simple piece of cloth.

I asked all the boys to meet me in the Men's Parlour half an hour before the _Report_. They were all already there when I arrived; they were all impressively handsome. How could they all be different with suits and tuxedos? On hangers, those outfits looked all the same, but on them, man, they were beautiful. I almost forgot what I had come to say.

"Gentlmen, tonight is a special night, because I am going to announce the Elite. Now, what I want to know is if you want me to tell you beforehand who is going to stay, or if learning it at the same time as the whole country is okay for you."

They were all staring at me, paralized, but I couldn't say if it was because of the dress or because I was going to announce the Elite.

Caleb was the first one to react. "I would rather know it Live, on stage."

"Yeah, me too." Tristan said.

I nodded. "So nobody wants to know now?" I made sure.

Ony by one they shook heir head.

"Okay. Let's go, then." I turned around and walked away to the studio. Man, I was nervous. My hands were sweaty, and I realized I had fogotten my heart gloves in my room. I walked back up the stairs and opened the wooden box. I grabbed them and headed out the door, to the stairs. Tristan was walking up the stair to the third floor.

"Tristan... Um, you know you're not supposed to be up here, right?"

"I know, I know. I just wanted to tell you that you were divine. I couldn't stop looking at you, so I just followed you, I'm sorry." Why did he have such ice blue eyes? They were intoxicating. If he couldn't stop looking at me because of my dress, I couldn't stop looking at his eyes. They had a habit of drawing you into a mirror that would swallow you in an enchanted world. They were the door to that enchanting place. We just stared at each other in silence, memorizing every inch of each other. He usually had a two or three day stubble, but that day he was freshly shaven.

"Can I kiss you? It may be our last kiss." he gently asked, closing the space between us and cupping my cheek in his hand.

I couldn't say no to his eyes and lips which were in a small smile. I willed my body to close my eyes and the gap between us, until our lips brushed together, sending flames to the bottom of my stomach, and tingles to the tips of my fingers. With his free hand on the small of my back, he pulled me closer to him, until I could feel his heart racing against my chest. I looped an arm around his neck and let him kiss me however he wanted.

We broke our kiss when we heard the stage director yell "Two minutes! Where is the Princess!" in the hall downstairs. We both laughed and he escorted me down the three floors, and into the Studio.

"She's here, don't worry." He said to the director, who sent a death glare in Tristan's direction, as if he knew it was his fault I was late. I sat on my designated chair and waited. Everest had a dark blue suit with a bright yellow bowtie and shoes. He wanted to be different than the boys, and he was.

The Anthem played, and Everest jumped in as soon as it was over. "Good evening Illéa! Tonight is a grand night! The night you are all waiting for. Princess Rosaline will be announcing the Elite. But first, we will have some pictures of the latest visit: an Orphanage in Carolina. Sir Axel, Sir Caleb and Sir Westley escorted the Princess there" – the pictures showed up one after the other while he was talking – "and, looking at those pictures, they apparently had a great time. Aww, Look at all those little girls with tiaras and the boys with bowties! That was the Princess' idea to bring them a souvenir of her coming. Oh, and here is Sir Caleb having a great time in the lake with the kids. And here, Sir Axel is- what is he trying to paint? Is that a house? Or a dog?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

"It's Princess Rosaline, you idiot!" Axel called from his chair, laughing hard.

"Oh, sorry Your Highness, I didn't recognize it was you..." Everest was so ashamed, he kind of stopped commenting the pictures. I was having a laughing fit alone in my chair, because when I chose that picture to show, I was sure he was drawing a Christmas tree.

"All right, this is the end of the pictures. Princess Rosaline, do you have something to add about this visit?" he asked me, turning around.

"Yes, I do." I stood and walked to the center stage. "These children need families. I know a lot of you struggle enough as it is with your own families. But if you have it in your heart to take another child with you and make him or her happy and give the child someone to call Mom and Dad, I would be forever grateful to you." I paused. "I've met those children, and if I could, I'd adopt them all." My throat tightened and I was afraid I might cry. I stopped talking because I was sure my voice would quiver. I just added a small 'thank you' and went back to my seat.

"Thank you, Princess. People of Illéa, you heard her plea. Please think about it, okay? Good." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, before the Elite, our King Semour has something to say, and you don't want to miss it. Your Majesty?" Everest invited Father. What on earth was he going to say that no one would want to miss?

"Good evening. What we are going to announce now is not conventional. Princess Kate-Lyn has something to say."

My mouth dropped. She was seriously going to do that on the _Report_? And tonight? Ugh.

Kate breathed in deeply before speaking. "Love often comes in the most unexpected way. Princess Rosaline is having her Selection, but I happen to have found my soul mate in her Selected." She looked at Adam, and they both smiled. "Sir Adam will be out of the Selection, but will remain here at the Palace for the duration of Rosaline's Selection." She walked to him and took his hand, leading him back to her seat, where an extra chair was brought dring her speech.

Everest was dumbfounded. "Princess Rosaline, did you now about this? Do you want to add anything?"

I stayed in my chair, but said: "I knew it would happen some day, and I wish them all the love in the world." Kate kissed my cheek and whispered a small 'thanks'.

"All right." He turned to the audience. "I bet no one was expecting this." He chuckled and shook his head, still not really processing what just happened. He sighed, focusing on the next task. "Okay, now what you are all waiting for, the Elite." He looked at the boys, and chuckled. "Do you know already who's staying or not?" They shook their heads. "Oh, wow. It's really going to be a surprise for everyone, then." He turned to me. "Princess Rosaline, you may proceed."

I stood and walked slowly to the center stage. I caught a glympse of myself in the monitor. I was sparkling, thanks to all the lights in the studio. The boys were all intently looking at me. I stopped in the middle of the stage, a few feet away from a camera. The boys were also filmed and their rection would be shown on the other half of the screen.

I pulled out my small paper from my glove. "That's what happens when you don't have any pockets." I chuckled. I needed the paper if my mind went blank and I forgot the names of the chosen ones. I unfolded the paper and read one name at a time.

"Sir Evan Collins." Because he was my first kiss and it meant something, didn't it? I looked at him, and I saw he was grinning widely, his hands in happy tight fists. I think that if he wasn't Live on the _Report_ right now, he would jump and whoop around the place.

"Sir Hunter Simon." Because I wanted him to know he was good enough, even for a Princess. He grinned widely and nodded, mouthing the words 'thank you'.

"Sir Kurt Jonhson." Because I had promised to keep him as long as possible. But he already knew that. He simply smiled and closed his eyes, glad I had kept my word, I guess.

"Sir Logan James Castle." Because I was going to keep him here at least until the question about his father was resolved. And because if things didn't go well with his father, he needed to have friends around. He sighed, relieved.

"Sir Nigel Duchamp." Because he had made me feel very special on that date to the beach, and I knew he loved me. I saw him close his eyes and grin widely, letting his head fall back.

"Sir Theo Barton." Because I had fell in love with his poems and his sweet kiss. I could easily see myself next to him all my life. He grinned and his eyes glittered. Was he going to cry?

"Sir Tristan Oliver Blackwood." Because his eyes, duh. And also because I knew I had a special place in his heart, and I could aslo find one for him in mine, even though it was broken at the moment. He let go a breath he was obviously holding in, and grinned from ear to ear.

"And Sir Westley Alton." Because his arms were a safe place to be, and I loved his gentle touch. And because I was his darling. He looked a me, a wide smile lifting his green eyes up, which made my heart melt again.

"To the others. Thank you for participating in this Selection. I wish you all the luck and love in your life, and I hope to keep in touch with you, even if it's just Christmas cards." They chuckled and nodded sadly. I felt terrible for letting them go. But it was a Selection, and Baby needed to have a father soon.

I went back to my seat and waited for the end of the report without looking at the boys one single time. I knew if I did, I would cry. I was so close just now, I at least wanted it to be in private. Everest interviewed the departing boys one last time, but I didn't really listen. I played with the small paper where their names were and waited for the Anthem to play and the cameras to turn off.

Finally it was over and I couldn't resist the tears anymore. I rested my elbow on the armrest and covered my eyes, forcing the tears back down. I dried my cheeks and headed to the boys.

"Could I have just a moment with the boys who are going home, please? The Elite, you can go to the Dining room already, we'll be there shortly." The eight Elite nodded and walked away, slapping each other on the back playfully, congratulating one another. I faced the remaining seven.

"Please forgive me, it was one of the hardest decision I made, and I-" I swallowed another wave of tears.

"It's alright, Rose." Michael said. "We understand. There were thirty-five of us, and you have to choose only one. We're happy you've kept us this long. At least I am."

"Me too." Caleb said.

"Yeah. Thank you." Kenan added.

"Group hug?" I asked hesitantly.

Aaron smiled. "Of course." He hugged me, and the six others joined us. I was crying like a baby in the middle of seven boys. Stupid hormones. I wouldn't have cried like this if I wasn't pregnant. Of would I?

"Okay, okay." I chuckled, ending the awkward group hug. "You'll all have your last dinner with everyone tonight – except if you don't want to, and you can have it in your room – and you'll be going home in the morning."

They nodded and all came along to the Dining Room, were everyone was waiting for us. I asked to have my plate and silverware brought to the boys table for once. This was the last evening where we were all together. Tomorrow, the ' _game_ ' tightened considerably and it would certainly change the mood and atmosphere between the boys. I was between Evan and Caleb and I seriously never had such a fun dinner. The Elite forgot they were Elites, the others forgot they were going home in the morning, and I forgot, for a little while, that I was a pregnant Princess looking for a husband among eight handsome and kind boys. Tonight I was just surrounded by friends, and it was all that mattered.

After dinner, I said goodbye to the departing boys in the Dining Room and they all went in their rooms to pack their bags. The ones below Caste Three would go home as Threes, and the Twos would remain Twos. They had new lives waiting their return and I was happy for them.

I was the last one left in the Dining Room, and I was about to take a sip of wine from my glass I hadn't touched all evening. I knew I shouldn't be drinking this because of Baby – I needed to find something else to call him or her, other than 'Baby', by the way – and because I promised myself I would never drink wine again. But as I put the glass to my lips, a hand took the glass away from me.

"You shouldn't be drinking that, My Lady." Anna said.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" I was surprised to see her here.

"I've got your sister on the phone for you." she said.

"Who, Rachel?"

"Yes My Lady." she handed me the phone. I took it and went to a boudoir that was never used and sat on the windowsill.

"Rachel, is that you?" I said with a light and happy voice.

"Yeah! Rose! Oh, my god, I'm so glad to hear you." Her voice was weird.

"Rachel, what's going on? Why are you whispering? What time is it over there?"

"It's seven in the morning, and I'm in my closet. Rose, can I come back home?"

"Rachel, tell my what's going on. Did Fréd hurt you?"

"No." Slight pause. "Not yet, though." She quickly added.

"Talk to me. What happened?" Why was I trembling?

"Nothing. It's just that Fréd has been asking and pushing me for like two weeks, now, to sleep with me. And I keep saying no."

"At least he asks." I mumbled unintelligibly.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"Okay. Um, but last night, he decided to sleep in my bed, hoping that it would help me change my mind in the morning. He's still asleep – I can see him from the keyhole. I stayed up all night, to be sure he wouldn't do anything. He was sleeping in the middle of the bed, so close to me, it was uncomfortable. I ended up on the couch." She paused to take a breath.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

"And you know the law. If people knew I slept with someone out of wedlock, and at fifteen, my reputation is over." Huh. Tell me about it. "Unfortunately, France does not have a law like this. They are rather libertine. Please let me come back home."

"My goodness. Of course, you can. Listen to me: get him out of your room as soon as he wakes up. And if he doesn't want to go, lock yourself in the bathroom. Once he's gone, stay with Celia – your maid – and start packing your things. I'll send someone ASAP to pick you up. Okay? But count at least fifteen hours... There's a whole country and an ocean to cross."

"Okay." She whispered.

"Rach', will you ever forgive me?"

"What for?"

"Sending you there in the first place. I realize how stupid that was and I'm terribly sorry for it."

"Nah, don't worry about it. It was fun. Until now. Oh, and congratulations on the Elite, by the way. Great choices." She giggled.

"Oh my. You saw that?" I said, smiling.

"Yeah. I told you I was up all night. But I can't believe you let Kate have one of _your_ boys for her, though." she smirked

"Ugh, I knew you'd hate me for this."

She laughed softly. "They're really cute together. You wouldn't have fallen for him anyway."

"So you don't hate me?"

"Nope. Look I have to go, he's waking up."

"Okay. I miss you, you know?"

"Yeah right. Shut up." She chuckled. "I miss you, too. Love you, bye!" She whispered and hung up.

This phone call from my sister was like a slap in the face. All my actions were so selfish lately, and I ended up hurting everyone related to them. Ugh.

Now I needed to find General Finlee and ask him to send three of his most trusted men to get Rachel for me. Even though I loved my sister, I was never setting foot there again. The General accepted, of course, and his men were off within the hour. It was almost midnight, now, so I decided it was a good time to retreat back to my room and call it a day. The heat made my feet swell and so I took my shoes off and climbed the stairs barefoot.

Someone behind me grapped my shoes playfully. "How on earth can you walk in these things?"

I turned around. "Evan, give them back." I laughed.

He chuckled and kicked his shoes off, trying to put mine one. "Humpf" he said trying to fit his huge foot in my tiny shoes.

"Don't break them, please. They're my favourite." I pleaded, sitting down on the stairs next to him.

"Okay, okay." He gave them back to me, still chuckling. "You look absolutely beautiful, by the way, Rose." he said, touching the skirt and fiddling with a diamond. "Please tell me those aren't real."

I giggled. "Yes they are."

His eyes widened. "Wow. I don't think I could ever get used to so much luxery."

"Really? I am." I laughed.

"Come on, you were born in it. You don't even know what life is without it."

"You're right, I don't. And I still think this dress is a little bit too much."

He came closer to me. "It may be a little too much, but it makes you look so Queen-like. Sometimes I'm afraid this is all a fairy-tale, or a dream, and that I'm going to wake up in my gardening truck, in my brown overalls. But I still wake up ever morning in soft cotton pyjamas and find a suit ready for me on a hanger. No, you know what, I think I could get used to this life." He said with a small smile on his lips.

"I'm glad to hear it." I answered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to call it a night and go to bed." I stood with my shoes in my hand.

He stood, too, taking my free hand in his. "Thank you." he said softly.

"For what?"

"Keeping me in the Elite." I came closer even, lifting my chin with the tips of his fingers. "Can I kiss you? The last time I did that you almost sent me home." He chuckled.

I laughed softly. "I remember that. Yes you can." I had to let them do it, because my body wouldn't obey my brain. His lips brushed mine, and he parted my lips with the tip of his tongue, finding mine and pining me against him. His heart doubled its pace against me, and so did mine. I let my shoes drop to the floor and cupped his cheek in my hand, kissing him back with all the energy that was left in my body after this long day.

Then we broke our kiss, and said goodnight. I walked back to my room, my lips and face still burning from his touch. But I started to like this burning feeling. It reminded me that I was still alive. Because if you don't feel anything, it means you're dead. And Life was grwoing in me, right now.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **So, what d'ya think? ;-)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Yay, the Elite has officially begun! :) thank you for the reviews, as always, which are greatly appriciated ;) I love to know what you think and what your reaction is to one or another part of the chapter^^ thanks!**

 _ **Chapter 32**_

I woke up the next morning, dreading the days to come. I stayed in bed until Anna came.

"How are you feeling, My Lady?" She asked as she opened the curtains, letting, yet again, the sun come in. It had been weeks since the last rain. The heat was really starting to slowly kill us. A little shower would refresh the air and our bodies. I felt my stomach lurch, kicked the covers away but did not make it in time: I vomited on the bathroom tiles.

"Oh, no, Anna, I'm so sorry."

She kneeled beside me, holding my hair away from my face and drawing soothing circles on my back. "It's alright. Give it all you got, My Lady." She stayed there until I was finished. She helped me undress and step into the shower. I let the water flow over my hair and my body, draining the filthy feeling away. There were times when I still felt dirty after what Phil had done.

But then I remembered the tiny flower blooming inside of me at that very moment. That was it! I won't call it 'baby' anymore. I'd call it flower. Or something like that. What better than a baby flower when his or her mother was a Rose? I laughed all alone in my shower. I sometimes had a peak of cleverness. Is was not very often, but I would take it when it came. The last time a genuis idea had struck me was for the Campaign. And look where that got me. My image was even worse than before. Oh well. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? I would make the best of what I had.

I slipped into a dark pink sleeveless tea-length dress, waited for Anna to fix my hair and make-up, and headed out the door. I closed the door behind me and when I turned around, Westley was sitting on the stairs, his fingers fiddling with a piece of cloth. As soon as he saw me, he stuffed the cloth in his pocket.

"Good morning, darling." He said grinning. "And I'm not on the third floor". He said defensively, holding his hands in the air.

I chuckled, because he was just one step down, and his face was just at the right height for me to kiss him. Although I didn't do it. "What are you doing here?" I said, nudging him playfully in the arm.

"I just wanted to see you before the others. And I didn't get a chance to talk to you last night, but I just wanted to tell you that you were quite breathtaking in that Milky Way dress."

"Thank you. I thought is was a little too much, but Anna insisted I wear it."

"I'm glad she did. Oh, and I also wanted to tell you how thrilled I was to be an Elite. Really. I had high hopes you would keep me, but when you said my name, I just wanted to scream and jump around. If I had been alone, there is no doubt I would have done just that." He said with a grin.

"No way. You would have done that?"

"Yep. Shall we go down to breakfast?" He said, giving me his arm. I took it and he escorted me to the Dining Room.

"What was that piece of cloth you had in your hands?"

"Oh that. Um, it's cloth made of special material that I use to clean my violin. I've made it a habit to carry it around."

"Why?"

"Because it reminds me of my violin when I can't physically hold it in my hands and play."

"Oh." I chuckled. "I still want to hear you play, though." I said mischievously.

"I'm still waiting for you to knock on my door." He answered as mischievously as me.

We entered the Dining Room. "I won't forget, believe me."

"Good." He kissed the back of my hand and let me go sit on my chair. Adam was now sitting at out table, between Kate and Maggie. I wondered if other girls who had sisters also felt left behind once their sister had a boyfriend. Because now that it was official between Kate and Adam, there was only them and no one else counted.

I ate my breakfast in silence, gazing at my Elite from time to time. Now that there were only eight left, I still didn't know who I would choose in the end. This was getting harder and harder, because I knew them better now, and I could easily see myself grow old with every one of them. The only thing I couldn't guess was which one would accept Flower as his own. And that was the most important part.

After breakfast, I worked with Father in his office and told him Rachel would be coming home soon.

"Oh? Why? I thought you'd keep her there until the end of your Selection." He frowned.

I shrugged. "Yeah, well I miss her, and she called me to ask if she could come home."

"Did something happen? I thought she was dating Fréd."

How on earth did he know that? "Yes, but I don't think it was something serious anyway."

"Well, good. Those boys are sometimes a little bit fishy." He said with a frown on his face.

I nodded. "That they are." I focused on my report once again and lost track of the time. I was preparing my next visit, and since I had never set foot in a place like that, I needed to know what it was like before diving in head first. I knew I was very priviledged to grow up here in the Palace, but the more I read about the 'outside world', the more I wanted to have a normal life like the majority of the people out there. I sighed. Maybe in another life.

Lunch was served outside, on the terrace. The wind helped the air be a bit cooler, and white parasols protected us from the sun. I loved to eat outside. I wished we could do it more often. After Lunch, we all stayed in the gardens – the Elite, Maggie and me – and we played badminton two against two, barefoot in the grass. I started playing with Nigel against Logan and Maggie. I'm quite terrible at this game, so Logan and Maggie won. She was really happy about it and ran for like five minutes around and around the badminton ground singing 'A very merry unbirthday to you', which made Logan laugh hard. It felt good to hear his laugh. We were still waiting for his father's interrogation, but he was much happier than in the beginning of the Selection

Then Evan and Kurt played against Hunter and Westley. They were all good, so it was pretty fun to watch. A maid – Judy – had brought some blankets to sit on. Tristan was sitting, his ankles crossed, and resting on his hands, a little laid back. I sat next to him, Theo on my other side. Evan and Kurt won, but it was a very tight game. After that, Theo wanted to play with me against the last winners. He was sure we could outwin them. I wasn't so sure, but I played along.

I didn't think it would be this hard to play with a deaf person. He couldn't hear me when I said I had the shuttlecock, so we bumped into each other a lot. Then, as I was catching it, I sprang my ankle and fell on the ground. He didn't hear anything, of course, and he moved backwards and tripped on me, stepping in my hand. The others didn't really know how to react, but Theo and I laughed, so the others joined in. Theo stood and helped me up, but as soon as I was standing, I fell back down: my right ankle wouldn't hold me anymore.

Tristan was the first one to come to my 'rescue'. He scooped me up in his arms. "I'm taking her to the Infirmary." He informed the others, who just stayed there, unable to move.

"Mister Blackwood, you sure do make it a habit of sweeping me off my feet." I said playfully.

"Figuratively, or litteraly?" he asked slyly.

I giggled. "Both, I guess."

"Good." he replied with a satisfied grin. We arrived at the Infirmary and he sat me on one of the beds. He called out to the doctor who came swiftly.

"She sprang her ankle, Doctor." He told him.

"Again?" He asked me with a small smile, and taking my foot in his hands.

"Yes. But not for the same reason. I wasn't running in the stairs, this time."

"No, she was playing badminton. Unfortunately her team-mate is deaf, so the communication was not the best there was." Tristan said, putting the blame on Theo.

"No, it was not his fault. I fell before he backed into me and fell on me." I defended him.

"Yeah. Whatever." Tristan replied, taking my hand in his. "The most important part is that you got hurt and that I got you here in time." He said with a smile, gently kissing my lips. I broke the kiss quickly, hissing as the doctor bandaged my ankle.

"It's going to take a couple days for the swelling to reduce. I hope you didn't plan your next visit tomorrow." Doctor Armin said, concerned.

"No, it should be on Tuesday." I said.

"Good. You should be able to walk without a problem by then."

I sighed, relieved. Then, he was finished and he gave me some crutches to help me walk. Tristan offered to carry me back to the gardens.

"No, thank you. I need to exercize with these. I'm not going to have someone carry me around all day. Besides, it would end up breaking your back; I'm not the lightest girl in the world."

"Rose! You can't say that. You're perfect."

I snorted. "Yeah, right."

He stopped me by grabbing my elbow. "Honey, listen to me. Don't ever believe that lie that you are not perfect. Because you are, in every single way."

I sighed. I knew I wasn't. I was a selfish prick who had a tendency to hurt people I loved when I made stupid decisions. And I was ruined. Phil had done that. But I couldn't tell him that. Not yet, anyway. So I smiled, said thank you, and walked away to the Gardens before he could do or say anything else. I had a feeling that if I stayed longer, I would let myself fall in that enchanting place that were his eyes, and I couldn't afford to to that right now.

I arrived outside. The boys were sitting in a circle, Maggie in the middle, imitating things – animals? People? – that they had to guess what it was. They were having a good time, and I didn't want to interupt them. But Theo saw me first – he may not be able to hear anything, but he rarely misses something with his eyes – and came to me.

"Oh my gosh, Rosaline, I'm so sorry. It's my fault you fell and-"

I put I finger on his lips – he wouldn't have heard me say anything. "I fell because there was a hole in the ground. It's absolutely not your fault, Theo. Don't worry about it."

He sighed in relief. "Does it hurt?"

"A little." I shrugged. "In a couple day it should be better."

"Good." We headed to the others and sat on the ground with them. Maggie was still being silly and she started singing "Rose and Tristan, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." I felt my cheeks heating and facepalmed. Everyone was laughing, including Tristan, who leaned close to me and kissed me, just like that, in front of everybody.

"Ewwwww!" yelled Maggie, and she ran away, making everyone laugh even more. This was ridiculous and going nowhere.

"Ugh, come on Tristan." Evan said. "Stop being the perfect guy. You jump on every single occasion to have her attention. Let us have some of the light, too." he said, half playfully, half annoyed.

"Then, step into the light, Evan." Tristan replied, slyly. "We're Elites now. I think it's our responsibility to have her choose us, don't you think?"

"Careful what you say, Tris." Westley warned. "She's still the Princess and she still has to say only one word for you to go back home. Respect her. She's the one choosing a husband, not the other way around."

"Okay, you know what?" I said standing up with my crutches. "I'll leave you alone. If you want to fight, just don't do it in front of me. I don't want to send you home." I smiled at Westley, and then looked at Tristan. "And Tristan, be careful not to step over the line." I turned around and hobbled away with those stupid crutches. I tried to leave with dignity, but these were not helping. Did they have to start arguing about me in front of me? Ugh.

I counted the hours since General Finlee's men went to France, but Rachel wouldn't be here before tomorrow afternoon. I needed to know she was some place safe, and here was the safest.

I spent the rest of the day in the Women's Room, reading a book. My mind needed to be in a different world from the one I was in. I didn't want to be a Princess, I didn't want to find a husband, I didn't want to be pregnant; I only wanted to be with fictionnal characters. At least they wouldn't argue over me or try to kiss me. They would just let me be in their mind for some time, and that was all I wanted for now: to live another life.

A knock resonated in the room, pulling me away from my book. "Come in!" I called out.

The door opened and Anna peeked inside. "Oh, there you are, My Lady."

"Am I late?" I asked, reluctantly closing my book.

"I'm afraid, yes. Dinner is in thirty minutes. I've been looking for you for half an hour." she chuckled.

"Oh, Anna, I'm sorry. I'm coming." I grabbed my crutches and hobbled out of the room.

Anna motioned to my feet. "What happened, My Lady?"

"Sprang my ankle playing badminton. But I should be able to walk in a couple days."

Her eyes widened. "You played badminton while..." She whisered: "pregnant?"

"Um... I shouldn't have?" I grimaced.

"No. Please don't do any more sports. Especially not riding."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind." She opened the door to my room and helped me take a quick shower before helping me pull on an evening gown and fixing my hair and make-up again. I slowly made my way down the stairs, and was the last one in the Dining Room. Mom and Father looked at me quizzically when they saw the crutches.

"What on earth happened, Rose?" mom asked.

"Badminton, sprang my ankle. No big deal, don't worry." I smiled to emphasize the fact that it was nothing at all, especially compared to Flower. If I could continue to hide it with other problems, it would be perfect.

I went to bed shortly after dinner, wanting to be alone for the evening. I stripped down my gown and slipped into my pyjamas. I took my book and red in bed. I woke up in the middle of the night with the light on and my book on my belly. This hadn't happened in a long time. I turned out the light and fell swiftly asleep again.

"Rose..." My name resonnated like a whisper in my ears. Was I dreaming?

"Rose, wake up."

I groaned. "Mmh. Five more minutes." I turned my back to whoever was trying to wake me up. But instead of hearing my name again, I felt someone climb in my bed, crawl over me, and laying down facing me; he was pretty close, because I could feel his breaths on me. I jerked my eyes open, and grinned.

"Rachel! I wasn't expecting you until this afternoon!" I hugged her close.

"Well, you were pretty insisting, so General Finlee thought it appropriate to send the Jet." She sighed happily. "I'm glad to be back home."

"I'm more than glad you're back, too. What happened after your phone call?" I asked her.

"Um... I asked him to leave me alone. And than he said that this was my last chance: if I didn't sleep with him that morning, he would break up with me." She laughed. "So I broke up with him! I pushed him away of my room and locked the door. Then I spent the rest of the day packing my things with Celia."

"Good. Promise me you never set foot there again?"

"Why?" she frowned.

"Because those two boys can be trusted anymore. We though they were our friends, but no."

"Why are you saying that?" She asked, really serious.

I sighed, debating what to tell her. "Rachel, can you keep a secret?"

She frowned. "Yeah."

"Like, with your life?"

"Yes."

"Like, even under torture?"

"Um... Yeah. What are you talking about, Rose. You're freaking me out, here."

I blurted it out, half whispering. "Rachel, I'm pregnant."

Her eyes wide, she sat straight in my bed. "What?!"

"Shhh." I pulled her back down close to me, so I could whisper.

"Who's the father?" She whispered. "Is it one of the Selected?"

"Well, see, that's the problem. He's not one of the Selected."

She gasped. "Who is it then?" She held my hands tight against her chest.

"Phil."

She put a hand over her mouth, her eyes even wider than before. "Oh. My. God. How did this happen?" She said so softly, I barely heard her. And I told her the story. "Who else knows besides Anna?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

"You, now. But nobody else. You see, that's why I was freaking out on the phone with you. I was scared you had to go through the same thing as me." I felt the tears swelling in my eyes and my throat let a sob go. Rachel wrapped her arms around me.

"Aw, Rose. I'm so sorry." She cried with me and our tears mixed together on the pillow. It felt so good to talk about it with someone else than Anna. And Rachel was the only one who could understand me. Her stay in France had shown her who those boys truly were.

"How far in the pregnany are you in?"

"Five or six weeks."

"How are you going to cover it up?" she asked softly. Even though she was only fifteen, she could be very mature when needed, and that always impressed me.

"I have to choose one of the bays fast so we can pretend it happened during the Selection."

"So you'll have to tell him, whoever it is?"

"Yeah, that's the plan." I dried my tears.

"And what if Phil puts A plus B together and finds out you lied to him and asks a paternity test?"

I forced a chuckle out. "Let's hope he doesn't do that."

"Yeah." She said. And that's how we started our day: with a shared secret that tightened our bond. Kate had Adam, now, and they were kind of oblivious to the world. So now I had Rachel to support me in this.


	34. Chapter 34

**Thanks for your thoughts on the Elite :-)**

 ** _Chapter 33_**

Rachel and I went down to breakfast – I didn't need the crutches anymore, but my foot still hurt – and she kept making comments on the boys while eating. It made me laugh, and it was a good way to start the day after revealing my secret. I was glad to have her back here, safe and untouched. She was warming my broken heart by her humour and sarcasm, and helping to heal it, without even knowing it.

After breakfast, I followed Father in his office and worked on activity reports. The mail came in and there was a letter from Mrs Benett – the Orphanage director – telling me she was already receiving letters from parents who wanted to have an appointment with her to adopt a child. It made me so happy; I had to tell the boys about it later. I focused on my work until lunch and ran down the stairs as best I could to the Men's Parlour, Mrs Benett's letter in my hand. I knocked, waiting for the door to open.

Logan opened it and invited me inside.

"Guys, guess what just came in the mail!" I was so excited, but I wasn't sure they would be as much as me. The only person who had come with me and who was still there was Westley.

"Um, a letter, obviously?" Evan said with a sly smile.

"Yes." I chuckled and sighed. "Don't mind me; I get overly excited about small things."

"Who's the letter from, then?" Tristan asked.

"Westley, do you remember Mrs Benett?"

"Yeah, the Orphanage director. What's she saying?" he asked.

"Well, that she is already getting requests from parents to gets an appointment with her to adopt a child. Isn't that great?" I may have been a little bit overreacting, because the boys just looked at me, like 'so what?'

Only Westley shared my excitement. "Rose, that's great! See, I told you you could do it. You don't even need to show an example."

I smiled. I was so proud of myself. This was the first time from the beginning of the 'My heart beats with you' campaign that something good actually came out of it. I wanted to shout and dance and scream. But I was a Princess, and it wouldn't be ladylike. But I think my huge smile said enough for me. I wanted to hug Westley for believing in me from the start. It meant a lot to me, and I loved him even more for it.

I was just happy and giddy, and I had one boy at each arm – Westley and Evan – to escort me to Lunch. I swear I could have been skipping around the Palace – probably singing 'A very merry unbirthday to you' like Maggie – all day long if I wasn't wearing those ridiculously vertiginous high heels.

In the afternoon, I looked for Evan. I found him outside in the Gardens, with a pruner in his hands, trimming a large bush.

"What on earth are you doing, Evan?"

He jumped and turned around. "Jeeze, Rose, you scared me! I could have cut a finger."

I giggled. "I'm so sorry, Evan, I really didn't mean to scare you. But what are you doing?"

"Trimming a bush, I guess." He shrugged.

I smiled at his green and brown fingers. "Do you miss your job so much?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, kind of." He sighed. "I haven't done anything with my hands since I came here, and it's itching me to do something."

"I understand. Would you like to take with me? I think I haven't shown you the pond, yet."

"I'd like that." He said, putting his pruner in his pant's pocket.

"You're gonna take that thing with you?" I pointed to his pocket.

He chuckled slyly. "What, you don't trust me?"

"Yes I do, but I'd be more relaxed without it near me." I chuckled.

"Fine." he said, putting it down on the nearest bench. "I'll come and get it later."

"Thank you." I took his arm and we strolled to the side of the forest where the pond was. When we arrived there, we walked to the other side of it, from where we could see the Palace roofs over the trees.

"Evan, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you love me?" Wow. I couldn't believe I actually said that.

"Of course I do, Rose. From that first kiss in the pool." He stopped me, and made me face him. "But the real question, here, is 'do _you_ love me?'"

"Evan, of course I do. I love you all. That's the problem."

"Well, see, that's a problem for us, too. I mean _me._ I don't know how the others fare in that department. But I don't want just a small slice of your heart. I want all of it." He gently stroked my cheek with one hand, and put the other on my hip, pulling me closer to him. Which sent shivers through my legs.

"Evan. I have eight Elites, which means my heart is currently in eight slices. When one of you is going home, it widens the slices, until the last one left has all of it."

"I don't think I can wait that long, because when I have a bigger part of it, there are still going to be others. And the bigger the part I'll have, the harder my heart will break when you send me home." A strand of my hair flew in my face, but he gently put it back behind me ear, keeping his hand in the back of my neck.

"Who's saying I'm going to send you home, Evan? You could still be the one, you know?"

"I know I won't be."

"Why not?" I frowned. I didn't understand why he was saying this. Was he having cold feet?

"Because I know for a fact that there are two or three of your Elite who love you even more than I do – I don't know how it's possible, but it is – and you're going to choose one of them, because you deserve the best." he said with a gentle smile. "And besides, I don't think I'm cut out to be a Prince, let alone a Prince Consort. I'm a man of the outdoors, not an indoor cat. And I always do stupid things for my own entertainment, without thinking about what the others might think about me; and I don't want you to face palm all your life because your husband is being silly in front of the whole country." he chuckled softly.

"So you want me to send you home?" I heard my voice quiver. I couldn't believe he was quitting now, just after being an Elite.

"No, I don't _want_ you to send me home, I _need_ it." I frowned, not understanding. "Because at this point my heart will be able to live again. But if I wait longer, it might break in hundreds of pieces, and I won't be able to love anymore. I know it's a very selfish reason, but I don't want to get hurt more." He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on mine. "I love you, Rose. I'll never forget my time here with you." he whispered. "Can I kiss you one last time?" his voice was barely above a whisper.

I answered by kissing him. My lips brushed his, and I kissed him gently. He let go of my hip and held my face in his two hands. A salty taste came on our lips, and I realized we were both crying, our tears were mixing together on our cheeks before coming down as one on our shared lips.

"I'll never forget our first and last kiss, Rose. They're preciously guarded in my memory. It's not something I can share, it will be for only me, and I will cherish this memory for the rest of my life." He kissed my cheek. "Goodbye, Rosaline." He smiled sadly and walked away.

My goodness. I had no idea he would ask me to leave when I asked him if he loved me. I had almost been ready to tell him about Flower. But I'm glad I didn't have to, because I still have no idea how to start the subject. I'll need to find something better than the 'do you love me?' thing. Ugh. I can be so stupid sometimes.

Why was he gone? He was the funniest of the Elite, and I always knew he would lift up my spirits when I was with him. I didn't mind a silly husband. On the contrary. It would be quite welcomed after days on end of conferences and reading and writing reports and ruling a country. But I couldn't promise him that I'd choose him in the end. That's why I let him go. And also because I didn't want my husband to be unhappy in our home. I even, sometimes, felt like in a golden cage. If he was an outdoor man, I didn't think he could be truly happy here.

I sat on a rock and let the tears come. I put my hand on my abdomen.

"Don't worry, Baby Flower, I'm going to find you a dad who is going to love you, too, okay?" I chuckled through my tears. This was the first time I actually talked to the baby, and it felt awesome. I just had to be careful not to do this in front of someone.

I decided to linger a bit longer by the pond. The water lilies were soothing to look at, and I needed to recharge my inner batteries before going back home. There were seven young men left for me to choose from. I wondered who the two or three, Evan had mentioned, loved me even more than him. I had a good idea Tristan was one of them, and hoped Westley was, too. But as for the third one, I had no idea. They must all have had some sort of love for me, right? Well, now was the time to find out who had enough love in his heart for me and a Baby Flower.

I ended up staying at the pond almost all afternoon, coming back to my room just in time to get ready for dinner. Evan had packed his bags and went home before I came back, and now there was an empty seat where he used to sit. My heart ached, and I had very little appetite. I pushed my food around, pretending to eat. I knew I had to eat for Baby Flower, so I forced some food down.

"Where's Evan?" Rachel asked. "Did you send him home?"

I shook my head, afraid to her my voice tremble. "He asked to leave."

"And you just obeyed?" She was dumbfounded.

"He wouldn't have been happy here." I didn't tell her everything, though; how we both cried during out last kiss, for example.

She shrugged. "Well, at least it's getting easier to choose, then." she said, stuffing food in her mouth. Yeah. Well, easier said than done.

After dinner, I went out again for a walk. Clouds were slowly growing in the sky, and I hoped rain would come soon. I needed some time to think and the only way I could do it, was to stroll in the Gardens alone. I wouldn't consider myself an outdoor person, like Evan, but I like the respite the outside gave me when too many things happened. And right now, I felt like life threw things at me, just to see how I would manage with it. And right now, I was failing miserably. Mrs Benett's letter hadn't kept me happy for long.

I big water drop fell on my arm. And then another one on my nose. It was raining! Finally! I didn't hurry up back home; I didn't care if I was wet. I loved the rain. Angeles didn't have a lot of rain, so when it came, I usually was the first one to go outside and rejoice under the crying clouds. I always imagined something awful happened for even the clouds to cry.

"Rose!" someone yelled. I lifted my eyes to see Hunter running towards me with a large red umbrella. "Rose, what are you doing in the rain? You're going to be sick." He said, protecting me from the water with his umbrella. "Come back inside."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Hunter. But I actually like the rain."

"Really? Nobody likes the rain."

"Says who? We don't have much of it, here, so it's welcomed when it comes, you know?"

"Yeah, but you're a Princess, not a farmer who's counting on it for his fields."

I laughed. "No, you're right, I'm not. But what Ruler doesn't care for his subjects? Remember what I said to the Strikers? I cry with them when they cry, and I laugh with them when they laugh. And I most certainly wait for the rain with them and rejoice with them during the harvest."

He chuckled and shook his head. "You certainly are one of a kind, Rose. Your heart really beats with Illéa. You weren't joking." he said amazed.

"Nope I wasn't." I smiled mischievously. We arrived near the garden doors and sat on the steps of the stairs, watching the rain water the drying grass.

"Can I ask you a question?" he said, fiddling with his camera strap.

"Sure."

"Why did you keep me in the Elite? I thought we said we were just friends."

"Hunter, remember what I told you? That you are good enough, even for a Princess?"

"Yeah, I remember. But when I told you we would be better off as friends, I really meant it. I sealed off my heart so that I couldn't love you and my heart wouldn't break again."

"And did it work?" I asked softly.

"Yes." He looked at me. "I'm sorry to take the place of another guy you would have picked instead. I really had no idea you'd make me an Elite. I was ready to go home when you called our names."

"What are you trying to say Hunter?" I didn't want another one to go home today.

"What I'm trying to say is that there is no use keeping me here. I love you as a friend, but nothing more. And you're wasting your time with me. Besides, I can't really be a photographer if I'm Prince, right?" he chuckled.

"I guess not." I sighed. "You're the second one today to quit and ask me to go home. How am I going to find a husband at this rate?"

He laughed and looped his arm around me shoulders. "Oh, I have no worries about that, Rose. You're gonna make a good choice. But promise me to choose someone you love, too. Not only someone who loves you. Love goes both ways, you know?" He winked. I looked at him and let out a sad chuckle.

"I know. Do you think I can love, Hunter?"

"Oh, yes you can. If you can love a country like you love yours, then you can love a simple man. But make sure he loves you for who you are, and not for what you are... if he only wants the Crown, he's not worthy of your love, and you're not worthy of his."

I tilted my head. This was new. "Someone wants the Crown more than he wants me?"

"Hmmm. I don't know if I can say his name. All I can tell you is that he fell in love with you before falling in love with the Crown, too. So he'll be more than willing to be Prince. What I don't know is if he ended up loving you or the Crown more."

"Oh." Now that was something new that carried weight, and I would need to find out who it was, if he didn't want to tell me. But after what happened between Markus and Alec, I could understand why he didn't want to say anything.

"Thanks for the tip, Hunter."

"No problem. I'm gonna miss you, you know?" he smiled.

"Then why do you want to go?"

"Because you need a husband, and I'm not the One. And because my mother has been alone since I came here. I don't really like to leave her alone for so long." He paused, sighing. "Since my father died, she became more fragile. But she's still very beautiful, and men tend to hit on her. She tries to push them away, but it's hard for her. Her heart broke when the love of her life was gone. She's not strong enough, and she needs me more than she thinks."

"Hunter, I'm so sorry to hear that. Look, if you want to go home, I won't hold you back here. But I'm going to miss you, too."

He hugged me tighter with his arm looped around my shoulders and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "Good-bye Rose. I'll come back for your wedding, though." He said playfully. "You'll need a photographer."

I chuckled, fighting back the tears that were – again – threatening to come. "I wouldn't have anyone else do it."

"Good. So it's a 'see you later', then." He winked, kissed the back of my hand and walked away. I stayed on the steps a little longer, watching the rain fall. I shivered from the cooling air and decided to call it a day and go back to my room. Thankfully I didn't encounter anyone on my way up there, but Rachel was waiting for me, laid out on my bed in her cutest pink pyjamas, reading a book.

"Aah, there you are." she said, closing her book. "How is my pregnant sister?" she whispered.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Two boys quit on me today. At this rate, no one will be left on Friday. Rachel, what is wrong with me? Am I not lovable? A few weeks ago I had twenty-five boys begging for my attention, and now, out of eight, two asked to leave. Where did I do wrong?" A sob came out with my last word, and my shoulders shook. I climbed on the bed next to Rachel and cried in my pillow. Why was I crying all the time? Oh, yeah, right: hormones. Ugh.

She wrapped me in her arms and we stayed like that for several minutes, not saying anything.

"Rose, the boys are thinning out, making it easier for you to choose. Isn't there one of them you love more than the others?" she said after a while.

"No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe?" I managed to say between sobs. "What am I gonna do if no one wants to love Baby Flower?"

"Aww, you gave the Baby a name? It's so cute." she said.

"Shut up, I'm serious. What if none of them wants a baby that isn't theirs? I'll have to go to Phil and accept to marry him." I said miserably.

"NO! Don't ever settle for that." She said shaking my shoulders and making me face her. "Never, you hear me? Now, think. There must be one of the boys with enough love for both of you."

"I hope so, but I have no idea who it could be." I dried my tears.

"Who would you choose if there was no Baby on the way, Rose?"

"It doesn't help. I could easily see myself growing old with five out of the six remaining boys." Was I that desperate?

"Who's' the sixth one?"

"Kurt. I promised I'd keep him as long as possible. He needs the money."

She chuckled. "Okay, then that leaves five. And seriously, growing old with someone is not very romantic. Can't you find any love for them in your heart?"

"It's broken, remember? How am I supposed to find love in it when the pieces don't hold together any more? It's useless right now. All that is still usable is my brain." I chuckled humourlessly. Didn't mom and Phil tell me not to use my brain too much? Phil. He was such a good actor. I wonder for how long he was planning this.

"And your body, Rose. Listen to how it responds to their touch. If you feel threatened by their touch, run away. If you feel safe in their arms and their presence, then find out if they'd have enough love for you and your child."

Wise words, Rachel. Wise words. So I decided to take Rachel's word for it. I would listen to my body, since my heart was a total wreckage.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 **Wow... I hope you didn't cry too much. I did, a little, while writing it.**

 **Oh, and for those wondering why she told Rachel when she had promised not to tell anyone, it's just because it was a burden too big for only one to carry. I just hope Rachel will keep her mouth shut and help her sister. But you never know, right? sometimes, the characters just do their own thing, and there's nothing you can do, even when you're the writer ;-) who's with me on this? _(Funny how I never believed this could happen until I started to write stories...)_**


	35. Chapter 35

**Here's another one for you, lovely readers =)**

 ** _to the Guest who reviewed the previous chapter_ : HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (haha I may be a day late, now^^) Um, to answer your question: I've had that problem with my other stories, actually. maybe it's because I update too frequently and too fast... the website can't keep up with me^^ hahaha. no but on a more serious note, I don't know... just know that I update every day until the end of the story, so just come see, and there will be a new chapter^^**

 _ **Chapter 34**_

Monday morning, three hour beauty session, as usual, but this time with Rachel, too. Kate talked with Cybil and Leya about Adam, but I barely listened, too engrossed in pulling my belly in. I was scared it could already show, even if I knew after five or six weeks it would be impossible, especially on not too skinny woman. But still, better safe than sorry. When it was finished, I quickly put my robe on and went swiftly back to my room. I had a couple more hours before lunch, so I decided to read my book from the previous days, comfortably lounging in my couch.

After lunch, I read the daily newspaper. There was an article about the Selection and I carefully went through it. The journalist was wondering why I was speeding it up. I was on the fifth week and already had my Elite. So what? I guess when you found love, you don't want to wait around until the end of the world, right? Ha. If only that was the reason why it was going fast.

 _Knock-knock._

"Come in!" I called out. One of Father's personal guards peeked his head in the door.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness. Your Father wants to speak with you and Mister Castle in the Throne Room."

"Logan?" I frowned.

"Yes, Your Highness." He answered.

"All right, we'll be right there." I answered, closing my book.

He clicked his heels and was off. I brushed my dress to smoothe off the wrinkles and walked down the stairs to the second floor and knocked on Logan's door.

"Come in."

I entered and found him on the floor, doing push-ups.

"Forty-eight, Forty-nine. Fifty." He stood and faced me, in sports clothes and sweating. "What can I do for you, My Lady?" He said with a sly grin.

"Um, Father wants to speak with us, actually."

He froze. "Oh. Is it about my father?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"Probably, but I have no idea what he wants, to be honest. You should probably change your clothes, though." I chuckled.

"Yeah, Of course. Make yourself comfortable, I'll just take a quick shower. Three minutes, tops." He ran to the bathroom, and I heard the water flow just seconds later. I sat in the armchair and looked at the clock, waiting as the seconds ticked away. And true to his word, three minutes later, he was out, a towel tied around his waist, his body still wet. Now, if that wasn't inviting, I don't know what was. I still couldn't say if his war scars were attractive or not, but right now, I didn't really care.

"Oh, um, I'll wait for you outside." I mumbled with my red cheeks heating up. A walked out the door and leaned on the wall, closing my eyes and putting a hand on my belly. Jeeze. Seeing him like that sent a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Everything all right, darling?" Westley asked, making me jump. I quickly let go of my abdomen.

I chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah. I'm just waiting for Logan. The King wants to talk to both of us."

He frowned. "You've made your choice already? He's the One?" Hurt filled his voice and it broke my heart.

"No, he's not. Yet, anyway. I think it's about his father." I came closer to him, putting my hand on his arm. "Don't worry, you'll all know when I choose the One."

He sighed, relieved. "Thank goodness. You scared me, there."

"Why? Are you planning to be the One?" I asked him mischievously.

"Always have, always will, darling." He said just before kissing me right then and there in the hall. Funny how his touch was not burning at all, anymore. I even enjoyed it.

"Hum." Logan cleared his voice. "Um, I'm ready." Westley and I quickly broke our kiss and laughed nervously. I looked at Logan, but he didn't seem jealous or anything. I think he was too eager to hear what the King had to say to us.

"See you later, darling." Westley whispered in my ear. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Logan. Let's go." I said, taking his arm he was offering me. We went to the Throne Room. Two guards opened the double doors for us, and the red carpet to the thrones beckoned us to walk on it. Father was waiting for us on his throne, two guards on each side of him. A cameraman and a couple photographers were here, too.

I felt Logan's muscles tense under my arm. We managed to get near Father without any incident. Logan bowed to Father and I curtsied. With cameras around, better be formal.

"Logan, I have interrogated your father this morning. A few years ago, my men were a bit overzealous and locked him up with no other reason than helping a friend in need. It was a mistake we will not repeat in the future. I know what all you went through to save your father, and I personally want to thank you for your service in the Army. You risked your life for your father, your sister, and our country."

Logan was breathing hard. Father stood with a golden medal in his hands. He held it in front of him.

"This is my first gift to you, Logan." Logan tilted his head and Father put the medal around his neck. "You are a Hero, Logan. Thank you." Logan nodded his thanks.

Then Father smiled and said something else. "And this is my second gift to you." He motioned to the two guards on his left, who stepped apart, revealing Logan's father in fancy clothes and no chains.

"Dad!" Logan breathed out. They both ran in each other's arms, crying, and totally forgetting the cameras around them. Father sat back on his throne, and I went to stand next to him.

"Thank you." I whispered to him.

He looked at me and looped his arm around me. "You know I'd do anything to make you happy, honey. And this man had no reason to be behind bars. He will be compensated for his years in prison."

"Is this airing Live, right now?" I asked as I saw Logan and his father hugging and crying.

"No. But it will air tonight with the daily News."

"Good." I headed back to the red carpet to walk out the door, wanting to give Logan and his father the privacy they wanted. This was the second good thing that had come out of the campaign, and I hoped it wouldn't be the last one. No, the third one, actually. The real first one was Andreas becoming a Clown Doctor for those kids.

"Rose, wait." Logan grabbed my wrist and turned me around. "Thank you. For everything."

I shrugged. "It was Father. It wasn't me, Logan."

"I'll thank him later." He said with a grin and wet cheeks, hugging me close. After a while, still hugging me, he whispered in my hair. "Rose, I know I said I would be grateful to serve you as your husband for what you've done for me and my family. But I don't think I can keep my word, Rose. I'm sorry."

I sighed against his chest. "I guess I should have expected this."

"Rose, don't get me wrong: I love you, I really do. But I'm afraid my family is my priority just now. If things were different, I'd gladly stay and make you choose me, of course." he said with a sly grin on his lips. "But with my father coming back, I just can't stay here. I need to-"

"I understand, Logan. You don't need to justify yourself." I sighed and let go of him.

"Thank you for everything." He kissed my cheek, and lingered there a bit longer than necessary, then he chuckled. "You know, I was kind of scared of you when I came here."

I chuckled, too.

"I know, right? The War Hero afraid of the Princess." He smiled and chuckled again, shaking his head at the ridiculous idea. "But now I'm sad I didn't even got to kiss you. I guess that will be my only regret in life, now."

"Seriously? And not being the One won't be?" I said playfully.

"Nah. You wouldn't have chosen me, anyway."

"Um, after seeing you half naked just before, I don't know." I felt my cheeks heat up quite fast.

"Uh-huh." he said with a sly smile. Man, his hazel eyes were gorgeous now that life had spilled back into them. Why did I have a thing about eyes? "The scars didn't repulse you?" he asked, frowning.

"No. I know they're there because you gave your life for your family and your country, and that makes you even more attractive." I said, placing a hand on his chest, straightening his tie.

"Damn, Rose. You're making it harder for me to ask you if I can go home. How am I supposed to do it now?" he said pretending to put a strand of hair behind my ear, just for the excuse of cupping my face in his hand.

"Then you won't have to ask. I'll kick out out if I need to. Look, your father and your sister need you. But I need you to do one more thing before you go." I said slyly.

"And what's that?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"Kiss me."

A smile grew on his lips and they were on mine in a split second. His smile lingered on his lips during the whole kiss. He parted my lips and kissed me passionately, holding me close to him. If I had to choose the One with my eyes closed and by their kisses, I have no idea who I would choose. Alec's idea in the first place to have a kissing Marathon was a bad idea: it wouldn't have helped at all. They all had different kisses: sweet like Theo's, passionate like Tristan's, Evan's and Logan's, gentle like Westley's, and full of love like Nigel's. How would I choose?

I broke our kiss and chuckled. "Now you won't have any regrets and you can go home with a light heart."

He smiled, thanked me, and walked away to his King, thanking him, now, I guess.

As I got out of the Throne Room doors, Theo almost jumped on me.

"Rose, I've been looking all around for you!"

"Oh, well, here I am, now." I managed to smile.

"Have you been crying?" he asked softly, drying a last tear on my cheek.

I shrugged. "Yeah. Logan is going home."

"Oh no, why?" he asked, seeming genuinly concerned.

"His father has been freed and now he wants to go home with him, and have his family reunited." I said half sadly – for me – and half happily – for him.

"I'm sorry to hear that – pun intended, of course." he winked and it made me laugh. I didn't know he could easily laugh about his handicap. "Would you like to go in the Gardens with me?" he gave me his arm. I hesitated because I wanted to go see Westley. "I've written another poem..." Theo said, and it made me say yes.

"Okay, let's go, then."

We walked together outside and he made me sit on a wooden bench. He stood facing me, and got out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Okay, here it is."

" _If kisses were raindrops,_

 _I'd send you showers._

 _If hugs were seconds,_

 _I'd send you hours._

 _If smiles were water,_

 _I'd send you the sea._

 _And if love were a person,_

 _I'd send you me!"_

"Awww, Theo, this is so sweet!" I said, and I meant it.

"No, it's not. It's silly." he chuckled.

"Yes, it is silly, but it's really sweet, too."

"Really, you like it?"

"Yes." I smiled and put my hand on his arm.

"Good, then it's for you." He gave me the paper and I read it again. His handwriting was so smoothe and harmonious, and it must come from his hours spent writing stories and poems. My handwriting wasn't as pretty as his.

"Rose, I was wondering if I could come along on your next visit. Where are we going?"

"Oh, no... I totally forgot about it! We're going tomorrow morning, but there's going to be a lot of people. Do you think you can manage?"

"Were is it?"

"The Sonnage University. So there really is going to be a lot of students around."

He shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He frowned. "But in the middle of summer?"

"Yeah, they have what they call a 'Summer Semester'. It's laid by the ocean, so a lot of students from the north and center Illéa come. They combine Business with Pleaser, so to speak. Um, do you mind if Kurt is coming along, too? Or do you two not get along well?" I didn't want to commit a blunder.

"Oh, no! Don't worry. Kurt and I are good friends. And I find it very kind and generous of you to keep him here until the end."

"Like everbody else."

"No, he told me about your agreement. You're keeping him so he can have the money."

"Oh, that. Yeah. It was the least I could do to help him out." I shrugged.

"Well, it still amazes me all what you go through to help a friend. You even let your heart break to give him what he wants. Like for Logan. You were sad to let him go, but you had to, because it was what he needed and wanted."

I smiled. "Oh, um for tomorrow, we'll be leaving in the morning, okay? You'll have to be ready at eight o'clock."

"Okay." he said with a grin. "I will."

"And please wear something casual, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'm" he chuckled, and I did, too. This was the first time one of the Selected called me 'Ma'm', and it was a change from 'Your Highness', 'My Lady', or even 'Darling'. I liked it.

We spent the whole afternoon together, making up stories and poems that he wrote in his book and it was really fun to just lay back, and laugh, and create together.

Then, I had to go change for dinner. I had no idea where this custom came from to change in something more fancy for the evening. It was a little bit annoying, and I couldn't wait for the Selection to be over, so it would just be us – my family, my fiancé and me – and I didn't have to wear dresses all day long every single day. I missed my sweatpants, harem pants and shorts and t-shirts I wore when we knew no one would come visit.

Right after dinner, I hurried to the five boys' table before they could scatter away, and sat on an empty seat.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I totally forgot to talk about this earlier with you, but tomorrow I am going to visit the Sonnage University. Theo asked to come along, and I was wondering if, Kurt, you'd agree to come along, too, just to show the press you are still part of the Selection?"

Tristan frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I have an agreement with Rosaline: I'm staying until the end, but she's not choosing me. I need the money." Kurt answered for me.

"Oh. Okay." Tristan shrugged.

"So, Kurt?" I asked again.

"Sure, why not? I've never set foot in a Unversity, though." He said, not really sure about it.

"Don't worry, neither have I. But you know, when you go back home, you're going to be a Three. This could be a chance to actually go to University and do whatever you want to do." I encouraged him.

"Huh. I never thought about that. It's a good idea."

"Yeah, you could even study sports." Westley said. Then he turned to me. "He's always wanted to be an athlete."

"Oh." I said. "Then go for it. Use tomorrow to become familiar with the idea."

"Actually, I will." He said nodding. Yes. This could be yet another good thing coming out of those visits.

"Good. Good evening, then." I said and walked away, hoping to spend a quiet evening by myself, cooped up in my bed with Flower, green tea and a book. Tomorrow would be a long day with lots of people and for now, I just needed some time alone. And I also needed to find a way to tell them about Flower without really mentioning him or her to the remaining boys.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **A special Shout-Out 'thank you' to morethanjustastory, UnderTheJackPine, golden tiaras, unremarkable words, WiseGirlOnFire, sabinethefangirl and the Guests who reviewed my last chapter (and almost every single one since you stared reading)! I just LOVED your reactions. (and thank you to all the other reviewers, too, of course!)**

 **I've been having less reads these past few days, though, and i was worrying you guys were getting bored by the story (or is it just because some of you are on holiday and don't have internet? maybe...), and I would totally understand. It's getting really long - like we've just hit the 100+K words milestone, and I had no idea it would be this long (or even that I could write something this long...).**

 **but the credits go to ALL of you: thank you for the amazing Characters, Thank you for the reviews, Thank you for your Support... THANK YOU!**

 **Don't worry (or maybe, yes, do worry), the end is near, only a few chapters left (four?!)... but stay tuned 'til the very last chapter, 'cause I may have a surprise for you^^ yes =) (maybe you can already guess at what it is, IDK^^)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Oh my... THANK YOU so much for ALL the reviews on the previous chapter! it just made my day =)**

 **a special thank you to madalyn owen** **: your kind words go straight to my heart. I'm overly happy and giddy to be considered amongst the "** **authors that update often and produce quality content" =) I've always wanted to write a book someday, and you just said what i needed to hear: I think I'm ready now =) THANK YOU SO MUCH!  
**

 **Chapter 35**

The next morning, I didn't need Anna to wake me up. My stomach did a good job out of it and I threw up in the toilet. Screw morning sickness. How long was I going to suffer this? I really hoped it wouldn't be during the whole nine months of the pregnancy. Imagine me, the Princess, in a middle of a morning conference, running to the bathroom to vomit my latest meal. Who said pregnancy was glamorous? Who said it was the best thing that could happen to you? People say motherhood is something magical. But no one talks about pre-motherhood, now do they? Ugh.

I wiped my mouth and drank some water, rinsing the awful taste in my mouth. No, pregnancy was nothing close to glamorous and sexy. Now I knew why the boys were quitting on me: they felt something fishy going on with me, and didn't even want to know what it was. But I remembered Aaron saying there was a glow about me he couldn't put his finger on. Why didn't I keep him in the Elite? That was exactly me: making stupid, selfish decisions.

It was funny how I still managed to show the best side of me, even to the boys living under my roof for more than a month. They were all telling me I was beautiful, and generous, and kind, and whatever. But if truth be told, I was just a snobby, selfish prick. The very image I wanted people to forget. In a way it was working, since they didn't see that. But how vain was I, for even for them not seeing this while living here? I was either a very good actor, or a very good hypocrite. Either way, the One I would choose should know the true me...

I took a shower while waiting for Anna. When I came out, she had already laid out my casuall-est of casual outfits: I wanted to blend in with the students. The plan was to listen to a lecture without the students seeing me. Ha. That was going to be fun.

I pulled on some pants, but I couldn't close them. "Anna? Um, I think we have a problem..."

"What?" She ran back from the closet.

"I can't close my pants." I literally felt the blood draining from my cheeks.

Anna frowned, and tried to close my pants. "But it's not possible. You shouldn't be showing before at least the twelfth weeks. Let's just hope you're bloated." She said, giving me another pair of pants – some stretch jeans, this time – and I was able to close them. Then I pulled on a pink blouse with the same light beige vest I had already worn to the Orphanage. This was exciting: it was like going under cover. I slipped on some black flats with unnoticeable earrings. Then Anna braided my hair in a large fishtail braid slung over my shoulder. I took the large hang bad Anna gave me and I was ready. I swallowed the anti-puking thing and went down to Breakfast. Theo and Kurt were already there in Jeans and shirts. They looked pretty handsome.

I went to the buffet and filled my plate with things I knew my stomach would process: white bread with butter and strawberry jam, an apple, and black tea – Anna had forbidden me to drink coffee.

"Nervous about today?" I heard Tristan whisper in my ear, filling his plate as well.

"No, but excited. We're kind of going under cover, so it's going to be fun."

"Well, you look as pretty in casual 'under cover' clothes as in dresses." He told me mischievously.

"I don't believe you." I replied slyly. "If I recall correctly, you were pretty awestruck when I was wearing that dress with the diamonds on it. You don't seem awestruck now." I chuckled. "But thanks anyway for the compliment." I winked and went to my seat.

Why did he always have to do or say something to get my attention? Sometimes I felt he was a little bit of a glue-pot. But his gorgeous eyes prevented me to do anything about it. I swear, I think his eyes were going to be my downfall. It was like they sent a spell over me, making me say yes to whatever he wanted. And the only way to counter that spell was to close my eyes or look elsewhere.

After our early breakfast, Theo, Kurt, General Finlee and three of his men – all dressed in plain clothes – Alice, the Photographer, and I were in the Limo that would bring us to the airport. It was too close to go by plane, but too far to go by car: we would travel by helicopter. I hadn't done this very often, but Kurt and Theo had never flown in one, so they were a little bit scared – although they tried to hide it, and it was very cute. I didn't say anything, though; I didn't want to hurt their manly feelings.

We landed a few minutes drive away from the University – we wanted to make an unnoticed entrance. It was sunny again and we were all wearing sunglasses. I really felt like in one of those undercover secret agent movies, it was exciting. We came in the middle of a lecture time, so barely no one was in sight. We went to one of the coffee shops and ordered a coffee – not me, though – and we waited for the next hour to go in one of the amphitheatres to listen to a History lecture.

"This place is awesome!" Kurt said, sipping his coffee in a paper cup.

I chuckled. "You think you can see yourself here?"

"Oh, yeah. Yukon is nice and all, but never as warm and exotic as here. Man. I could easily see myself study here. I'd have to bring my brothers and sisters, though. I'd need to find an apartment and all, but it should be doable."

"I can help out with that." I said.

"No, you've done enough, already, as it is. But thanks." He said smiling.

"Theo." I nudged his arm, because he was lost in his thoughts, gazing at the ocean. "You like it here?"

"Definitely." he nodded. "It's not that different from Clermont, so it reminds me of home."

"General Finlee." I asked. "What about you?"

"Oh, it sure changes from the Palace walls, doesn't it?" He said with a slight laugh.

I laughed, too. "Oh, yes it does, and it's a beautiful change." We all gazed at the Ocean. Man, if I could live another Life, I'd come study here. I don't care which studies, I'd just come here for the beach and the Ocean. I could get used to it, and very quickly, too.

Alice snapped some pictures of us chilling with our drinks. Then, a bell rang and students suddenly poured out of the huge classrooms. We stood, leaving our drinks on the table and blended in the crowd. General Finlee was leading us to Amphitheatre D1. We chose some seats in the back and got some notepads out of my bag that I passed around to the boys and the guards, so we could pretend to be students. If this wasn't taking Westley's advice to heart – 'live in their shoes for one day' – then I don't know what was.

I have to admit the lecture was kind of boring. I had learned everything already with my tutors over the years. But Kurt was really engrossed in it all. He was taking notes and all, and it made me smile. I could totally imagine him here as a student. Theo, on the other hand, was lost. Since he couldn't hear anything and the teacher was too far away to lip-read, he was passing the time drawing things and making up poems and stories. I felt bad for him, but since he wanted to come along and had assured me it would be okay, I couldn't really blame myself.

Thirty minutes before the end, the teacher closed his book – he knew we were coming – and invited all students to do the same, but asking them to stay, because he had a surprise for them. I smiled to myself. This was going to be fun.

"Okay, everyone. I want you all to welcome Her Majesty Princess Rosaline Schreave and two of her Selected." He clapped and the whole amphitheatre joined in as the three of us stood and walked down the steps to join the teacher – the guards on our heels, too. I heard people whispering as we walked, but I couldn't catch what they were saying.

I turned around and faced the students. Wow. This was different from the _Report_ , and from talking to the striker: there weren't too much of them that I couldn't see their faces. It was a little scary, but I inhaled once before starting to talk.

"Hello everyone. I've been in the room since the beginning of the lecture, and you didn't see me. Good. Um, this is Sir Kurt Johnson, and Sir Theo Barton." I motioned to them and they both bowed to the audience. "We've been admiring the view you have here of the Ocean and you are very lucky to be here. Now, if you want to say something or ask questions, we are at your disposal." I smiled and waited.

One hand in the back shot up.

"Yes?" I said.

"Your Majesty, is this visit part of your campaign?"

"It is, yes."

"Good." He replied, smiling. "I just wanted to say that your campaign was a good idea. When you said that your heart beat with ours, I personally didn't really believe you. But you kept your word and I've been following your visits closely. I'm sad that you don't have cameras following you like with your two first visits, but after what happened in the Prison, I understand." He shrugged. "Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know that."

"I'm really happy you said that. I had my doubts after the Prison, but someone encouraged me to continue, and I've followed his advice." I said.

"One of your Selected?" a girl asked in the front.

"Yes."

"Which one?" she asked again. "Was it one of your Elite?

"It was, yes."

She smiled. "I hope it was Sir Tristan. And that you choose him, Your Majesty."

I chuckled. "Oh, why should I choose him?" I asked her.

She nudged her friend next to her, who answered for her. "Because of his eyes. I would _die_ if he spoke to me." She said dramatically. I had no idea some of the girls were following the Selected this closely.

I chuckled. "I have to admit they are quite spellbinding."

Kurt burst out laughing behind me, and I turned around. "What's so funny?"

"Girls are funny." He chuckled. "I'm glad Tristan is not here to hear this, though. He's proud enough as it is, it wouldn't do him good to listen to this."

"Your Majesty?" I girl asked in the middle of the crowd of students. "Can I ask the Selected a question?"

"Of course." I replied with a smile.

"Um, Sir Kurt, do you think you have a chance with the Princess? Do you think you are going to be the One?"

He chuckled. "No, I don't think so. The other remaining Elites are much more suited for her."

"And Sir Theo? Do you think you have a chance?"

Kurt nudged Theo and repeated the question, whispering and enunciating it for him. There was an awkward silence and the students didn't really understand what was happening. But I knew Theo wouldn't want me to tell them that he was deaf, so we just waited.

"Um, yes, I may have a chance, actually." Theo started. "I'm in the Elite, and the Princess loves the poems I write to her. So, you know." he shrugged. I looked at him and chuckled. He was the sweetest of all, I think.

A few more questions were asked and then the bell rang and every student went for lunch. A lone student walked towards us, though.

"I put my name in the Selection, but I wasn't as lucky as others. Do you mind if I- um- if I just-" He didn't finish his sentence and just went with what he wanted to do: he kissed me! It surprised me and I just froze. General Finlee and one of his men were the first ones to react. They grabbed the poor boy by his arms – which made him drop all his books and papers – and pulled him away. I just stood there, not quite realizing what had just happened. Theo and Kurt were laughing their butts off – sorry for that, but in the moment I couldn't find a more suitable expression: my mind was a bit lost. I squatted to gather his books and paper scattered on the floor.

"Wait!" I called after General Finlee. "Let him at least have his books." Officer Arthur, the other guard, let go of the boy and took the books from my arms.

"Thank you, Princess!" the boy called. "I love you!"

I quickly turned around to laugh without being too rude. Kurt was laughing even harder.

"Poor guy... I wonder how long you would have kept him in the Selection." He kept chuckling and rubbed his eyes, where happy tears had formed. "Ugh. This guy made my day."

General Finlee came back. "Jeeze, I can't believe the guy. He was kissing his books just because you had touched them." I laughed again. He wasn't fangirling over me, but fanboying over me. I'd have to tell Rachel about it, I could bet she was going to laugh about it for years to come. It felt good to laugh, though.

"All right, Your Highness. It's lunch time, we are going to the Cafeteria. I'm truly sorry for what happened, we'll be more careful now, especially in a place with even more people." He walked in front of me, two of his men on either side of me – Officer Arthur and Officer Curtis – and one behind me – Officer Daniel – leaving Kurt and Theo to fend for themselves. Too bad, because Generl Finlee didn't expect the boys to be fangirled over by crazy girls, too. Now I was the one laughing. But poor Theo didn't really understand what was happening to him, girls were talking to him and he had no idea where to look to lip-read.

We queued with trays to get our food – by the look of it, I'd rather eat the Palace food – and got a table near the window, overlooking the Ocean. When we were all seated, we started to eat.

I frowned. "Where's Theo?" I asked.

Kurt stopped his fork mid-air and looked around. "I thought he was following." he stood and looked around. "I can't see him." but then he chuckled. "Maybe a girl has befriended him." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"No I don't think so." I said, very seriously, putting my fork down and looking around. "Maybe he just lost us."

"And it's no use calling for him, he won't hear us." Kurt said, concern filling his voice, now.

General Finlee frowned. "Why not?"

Kurt and I exchanged a glance, and I answered. "He's deaf. You can call him all you want, he won't hear you."

"Oh. That's interesting to know." He said a bit annoyed.

"I'm sorry, General. I should have told you sooner, but Theo doesn't really like people knowing it if he's not the one telling them."

"I understand." he said before turning to his men. "All right. You three go look for Theo. And keep me informed." I patted his earpiece.

"Yes, sir." they chorused before spreading out to look for Theo. It was like looking for a needle in a pile of hay, in this place. We ate in silence, looking around from time to time to see if we could find him among the hungry students. There weren't as many students in summer as there were the rest of the year, but there were enough to loose a deaf boy.

"Kurt, you know him well. Were do you think he is?" I asked him.

"I have no idea." He shook his head. "Maybe he's having a panic attack somewhere."

I froze. "Oh no. He told me he usually hides when this happens!"

"Your Highness, where do you think he could be hiding?" The General asked.

"In the restrooms." Kurt answered for me, before jumping to his feet and running away to the nearest restroom area. General Finlee was itching to go, too, but he couldn't leave me alone.

"General, we have to go find him." I said, standing up.

"Yes, Your Highness." He grabbed my arm so as to not loose me, too, and we ran where Kurt had gone. He was coming out of the restrooms with a very white and trembling Theo.

"We should go home, General."

"Of course, Your Highness." We all walked to the car waiting for us while the General barked orders in his mike to his men. Alice was still following us like a shadow, but kind enough not to take picture of the incident: if the pictures ended up in the wrong hands, it would be a catastrophe. So it was better no pictures were made at all.

We all piled up in the car and headed to the Helicopter, which brought us back home in just over an hour. Theo had calmed down during the flight. He didn't say anything until we were back home, though. As soon as we stepped out of the car, he put a hand on my arm.

"Rose, I'm truly sorry. You had to shorten your visit because of me. I thought I could manage – and you warned me there would be a lot of people – but I couldn't. This was kind of a test for me. If I could go though this day with no panic attacks, I could be a Prince by your side. But it turns out I can't."

"Theo, don't say that. It was an accident." I tried to reassure him. He was not going home on my watch.

"No, listen to me. There are always going to be a lot of people around you, and I don't think I can do it. It's too big of a handicap to ever be more than a house keeper, let alone a Prince. You deserve better than me, Rose."

Ugh, why were they all having cold feet, now? "Theo. You're not a Six anymore, you're a Two, right now. And if you go home – I said _if_ – then you'll be a Three. You can be whatever you want."

"Rose, I can't do this."

"Have you tried learning sign language?" I asked him "You could have a translator."

"No. My parents didn't want me to, because people would see my handicap right away. And I'm terrible at learning new languages. And besides, even if I chose to learn sign language, it would take me years to master it, and I would have panic attacks every day, here, with always people talking to me."

"Don't you even want to try?" I pleaded.

"No. Rose, I'm sorry. I just can't. So, if you'll just say the word, and I'll be gone."

I swallowed once and looked into his eyes. He was sincere about this. But it hurt me so much to let him go.

"Okay. You can go home if you want." I put my hand on his cheek. "And know one thing: I will cherish those poems you wrote me. They'll make my laugh and cry at the same time, and I'll think of you with an ache in my heart."

He smiled. "Thank you. It goes straight to my heart. I love you, Rose."

"Oh, Theo, I hope you find love again soon."

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try." he said with a sad smile. But then, instead of kissing me like others did, he just hugged me tightly. I felt his body shake with his soft sobs. This was getting harder and harder: those boys were all so special to me, now. I feared I had given them too much love, and that there wouldn't be any left for the One. Do you think love grows back once you've given it all away? I really did hope so.

He let go of me and walked away without a second glance. If he had, I don't think I could have left him go.

"I'm sorry." Kurt said behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He really loved you."

"Then why did he go?" I asked him, a tear coming down my cheek.

"Because he loves you. He didn't want you to have him as a burden for the rest of your life. He would rather you be happy than him." He dried my lonely tear with his thumb, a small smile on his lips. "And you deserve to be happy with someone strong by your side. You've got a tough job and a big burden on your shoulders. You need someone to carry it with you, not burden you even more, and he knew that."

I rubbed my forehead. "Thanks, Kurt."

"Your welcome." he said walking away and leaving me alone outside by the Limo.

I sighed and walked back inside, to my room. Anna prepared a rose petal bath for me and I lingered there as long as I could before getting ready for dinner. The boys' table seemed deserted with only four young men remaining. And it has been only four days since the Elite.

I ate with more appetite since lunch was shortened. After dinner, as I was walking out of the room, Nigel stopped me.

"Can I borrow you for a few minutes, Rose?"

I sighed imperceptibly and smiled. "Sure."

"I have something for you." he said, giving me his arm.

"Ooh. What is it?"

"You'll see." he said mischievously, leading me to the Music Room. He made me sit next to him on the large piano stool.

"Are you going to play something?"

"Yep, and sing. I've spent the last two days composing this for you."

"Wow, Thanks." I said with a genuinely excited smile.

He played a few chords, giving the mood of the song. Then he started to sing.

 _"_ _If you want someone  
Who'll always do his best  
Who'll understand  
Look no farther  
Than across this room we're in_

 _If you want someone  
Who'll always stand by you  
No matter where or when  
I'm your man  
Honey I'm your man_

 _If you need someone_  
 _To hold you when the storms start closing in_  
 _Someone who'll protect you_  
 _Or walk with you hand in hand_  
 _If you think you'd like to be adored forever_  
 _By your best friend_  
 _I'm your man_  
 _Honey I'm your man_

 _I thank God each day_  
 _For giving us each other_  
 _And for making dreams reality_  
 _By bringing us together_

 _So if you want someone_  
 _Who'll love you now and forever_  
 _And be your best friend_  
 _I'm your man_  
 _Honey I'm your man_

 _I'm your man_  
 _Honey I'm your man"_

He played a few more chords, gently ending the song. I had tears streaming down my cheeks. This was the most beautiful song I had ever heard.

"Nigel, this is- Thank you." I had no other words, so I kissed him tenderly, loosing my fingers in his chocolate brown hair. He wrapped my waist in his arms, pulling me closer to him, and kissing me back. His kiss sent thrills along my arms and in my stomach. Did Flower just do a summersault, of was that only the butterflies having a party?

The piano stool bench was not very comfortable, so he gently led me to the nearest couch. He was atop of me, kissing my face and my neck, and whispering that he loved me. I wanted to say it back, but it just wouldn't come out of my throat. His touch was not burning at all; my body was getting used to a masculine touch again, and this was a good sign. After some time, I broke our kiss, afraid it would go further, and I was absolutely not ready for that right now.

"Nigel." I said, still a bit short of air after his tender kisses. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He sat next to me, and I leaned on him, his arms wrapped around me. I rested my head on his shoulder. "I know you've always wanted a family of your own. But what if I can't have children? Would you consider adoption?"

He didn't answer right away. "You can't have children?" he softly asked.

"I don't know. But as Rulers, we always have to expect the unexpected," ha, no puns intended, here, even though I was expecting an unexpected child, "and prepare for it. So _if_ I couldn't have children, would you consider it?"

"Um... To be honest, I've never thought of it. I don't know if I'd be ready to do it. I've had this ideal life planned out, and adopting was not really part of it, actually."

"And I don't imagine being a Prince, either?" I asked, chuckling.

"No, but now it is." he laughed, too.

We stayed like this for some time, in silence. But my mind was thinking hard. If he wasn't enthusiastic about adopting a child that was neither his nor mine, what would he say about adopting a child that was mine but not his? I sighed. This was getting complicated. I'd had to find out what Tristan and Westley would say about this. Then I'll make my final choice before Friday's _Report._

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **If you want to listen to Nigel's song it's calĺed "I'm your man" from Randy Travis (easily found on youtube...)**

 **Okay... three more chapters left... yep.**

 **and don't worry, the surprise is a GOOD thing =)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Okay, sorry for the rather short chapter... I wanted to fuse this one with the next, but then I would be one chapter short from what I had promised^^ so *shrugs* yeah^^  
**

 **UnderTheJackPine : I don't know where you are in the world, so I hope you get this before morning^^**

 **Booki : thank you so much! I'm glad to know I'd have at least one reader ;-)**

 ** _Chapter 36_**

The next morning, after my daily vomiting session, I returned in bed. I had no will whatsoever to get ready for that day, or for the rest of the week, as it was. I was dreading my conversations with Westley and Tristan. This Selection was going way too fast. I honestly didn't think it would be down to four – well, three, if you don't count Kurt – just five weeks after the beginning. But that was all Phil's fault. Or mine, maybe, too, for trusting him. But what the heck? Friends should be trusted, right?

"My Lady, it's time to get up." Anna said after doing all she could do around my room that didn't need my royal person – like getting dressed. "Your Father will be waiting for you. And you need to go eat breakfast, too."

"Anna, can't I get just one day off?" I whined.

"I would be the first one to give you a whole year off. But I'm afraid your condition is known to no one, and you still need to show that everything is alright." she said with a companionate smile.

"Right. And top that with finding a husband before the next _Report_." I added sarcastically.

"Yes." she conceded. "That, too. Do you have an idea of who it's going to be?" she asked as I stepped in the shower.

"Not really. I wish I didn't have to choose and that I could have the three of them." I laughed. This was ridiculous. I knew my heart loved one more than the others, but I still couldn't see who it was. I sighed and let the water drain the night's sweat off of me. I watched the water flow all over me for who knows how long.

"My Lady, is everything okay?" Anna asked.

"Um, sure. Yeah, sorry." I turned off the water and she handed me my bathrobe that I pulled over my wet body. I sat in front of the mirror and Anna started to dry my hair with the hairdryer. She worked in silence, giving me the time and quiet – despite the hairdryer's hum – to think over what I needed to say to Tristan and Westley. This was going to be complicated, but I needed to go through with it. There was no way I was telling the One _after_ I had chosen him. That would be the worst hustle ever. 'Oh, well, now that we're married, you need to know something: I'm pregnant and you're not the father. Sorry.' Ha. That would be just horrible.

After my hair had dried and was fixed in an intricate braided bun, Anna had me slip on a bright red Empire waist tea-length dress and black heels. I thanked her, and headed downstairs to the Dining Room. Not surprising at all, I was the last one to enter, and I went to fill my plate from the buffet table and took my seat between Adam and Rachel.

"Hey, Rose." Adam whispered. "I just wanted to be sure you didn't hate me or anything."

"What ever for, Adam?" I asked him, really not knowing what he was talking about.

"For falling in love with Kate-Lyn instead of you."

I burst out laughing. "Adam! This was meant to be. How could I hate you for this? You're the best person that could happen to Kate. I just hope you were able to have enough money to help your sister."

He lifted his eyebrows. "You remembered that?"

"Yeah. I even remember telling you I would keep you as long as possible." I chuckled. "I guess you're staying for life, now. But for free, though, I'm afraid."

He laughed, too. "Yeah, for free, now. But I had enough, and she's doing better now. My dad was able to buy her a better treatment, and she is on the path to recovery."

"Adam, I'm so glad to hear that. Is your family happy to know you are going to stay here?"

"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again, though. I hope they'll be able to come soon." he said with a sad smile.

"Adam, invite them here whenever you want. Besides, this Selection will soon end and there will room enough room here to have all your family here. I think Father and mom would like to meet them."

"They do, yes, but they wanted to wait for the end of your Selection."

"Rest assured, then, for Friday, I shall announce the One on the _Report_." I said, putting some raspberry tart in my mouth.

"What? This soon? Who are you going to choose?"

"That's the problem, I still don't know." I shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a problem.

"Rose. Take your time: this is for life, remember?"

I sighed. "I know. But I don't have the time. I need to choose him in three days."

He frowned. "What do you mean you don't have the time? It's been only five weeks. You've got all the time in the world."

"No I don't." I simply replied.

"Are you eager for married life?" he asked with a wicked grin and wiggling his eyebrows.

I chuckled and felt my cheeks turn red. If this was what I needed to have him believe instead of the truth, I would take that.

Then Kate talked to him and the conversation was over. I sighed and resumed eating.

I decided to postpone as much as I could what I really needed to do. So, in the meantime, I cooped myself up in Father's office and pretended to work. I pretended because my heart was beating way too fast than normal, and my mind was racing in all directions at once. How was I going to broach the subject? How would they take this? How will I do to not break down? I needed to be strong in this.

I saw Father look over at me several times, with a quizzical look on his face. Finally he asked me if I was okay and if I needed to take the rest of the morning off.

"Thank you Father. I'm fine. Maybe just a little overheated, that's all." I shrugged and tried to focus on the paper in front of me. I had no idea what it was talking about, so I started to read it from the start. Again. I heard him summon a maid and quietly talk to her. A couple minutes later, she was back with a tall glass of lemonade – my favourite, with lots of sugar in it – that she put on the table next to me.

"Thanks, Aleen." I said, taking the cold glass in my hands and taking one long mouthful and feeling it flow all the way down my stomach; and it felt really good. I checked the time: one more hour before lunch. Then I'd have to go look either for Tristan or Westley.

Lunch came, and I couldn't keep my gaze off of the boys' table. There was a good mood around the boys right now, but I was afraid that would change in the coming days, once I'd talk with them. Then something hit me: if neither Tristan, Nigel nor Westley would want to be the father of Flower, it would leave me only Kurt. But I knew he wasn't in love with me, and to be honest, neither was I. He was a really good friend, and I couldn't imagine anything else. Besides, he was going to be a student soon, and I didn't want to take that away from him. So if none of the remaining boys would accept two people instead of only one, I'd have to marry Phil. And that was out of the question. I would just be a pregnant unmarried mother, and my reputation would be finished. At least one of them needed to be the One. Please?

I walked out of the room, heading to wherever my feet would carry me, when Tristan caught up with me.

"Rose, I was wondering if you'd want to go riding with me this afternoon?" He said with a grin on his face and his ice blue eyes shining of excitement.

"Um, I don't think I'm up to riding, today." I said apologetically.

"Oh, um, then let's just go say 'hi' to the horses. And we'll see what we do after that." He wiggled his eyebrows, giving me his arm.

"Okay." I took his arm and we slowly strolled to the Barn.

"So, your Elite are thinning out, huh?" he said casually.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "But they all had their reasons to go, even if it broke my heart each time." I admitted.

"Aw, I'm truly sorry to hear that, love."

Oh. That was new, he never called me 'love' before. "You're not going to have cold feet, too are you?"

"What? No, of course not. I love you too much for that. And I've come too far to quit now."

"Good." I said as we passed under the barn doors. I knew I had to talk about Flower to Tristan this afternoon, and I didn't want anybody around for that, so I kindly asked – I hoped it didn't sound too weird – the horse grooms to leave the Barn and leave us alone.

I let go of his arm, took a couple apples from the basket near the door, and swiftly walked to Apples giving him his favourite treat – that's why I had called him Apples, by the way – rubbing his nose as he chewed the food. Tristan was leaning on the stall, his arms crossed, looking at me and smiling. I tried to ignore his stare.

"You sure you don't want to go ride to the stream in the forest?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay." He said as he looped his arms around my waist, and buried his nose in the small of my neck, near my shoulder from behind me. "We can stay right here, then." he whispered. He started kissing my neck, and then what was visible of my shoulders. He pulled the sleeve down a bit, to reveal my left shoulder and kissed it again and again.

"What are you doing?" I asked, slightly out of breath. His embrace was sending shivers and a warm feeling all over me.

"I'm trying to make you choose me, love." he gently turned me around, making me face him. His lips explored my face, my neck, my shoulders and my décolleté. My heart doubled its pace when his hands moved to my hips and then thighs. Jeeze, how would I be able to focus, now?

"Tristan, wait." I managed to gasp out.

"What?" he sounded a bit annoyed, but still obeyed and rested his forehead against mine, his lips still trying to kiss my lips.

"I just need to know something before anything else happens." It was really hard to focus with him so close and demanding.

"What?"

"If we couldn't have children, would you consider adoption?" I blurted out.

He chuckled. "Of course, love. Anything for you." he resumed kissing every inch of visible skin. "But are you sure an adopted child could be Heir?" he suddenly asked.

"I think so, yes." I breathed out. But I already knew: if a Royal couple was barren, they could adopt and the child would be the Heir. But if by any miracle they still managed to conceive, their biological child would become the Heir, even if he or she was younger than the adopted one.

"Then we'd have to adopt a boy." He said between kisses. "If I can't be King, I'd like to have my son be King."

I froze: so it was him, and Hunter was right.

"All right." I said for lack of anything else. I kind of kissed him back, too, but my mind was trying hard to focus on my next question. Tristan was being more and more demanding, his hands exploring pretty much everywhere and his knee between my legs, pinning me to the stall.

"One more thing." I manage to get out of my throat.

"What?" I had a feeling he was not going to accept this well, and that I was annoying him with my questions, but I needed to know.

I sighed. "Would you adopt if the child was mine and not yours?" I closed my eyes, unable to look at him, because I was too scared of his reaction.

He froze and backed away a couple steps, frowning. "What are you saying, Rose. Are you pregnant?"

If I said 'yes', I had a feeling he would explode in anger, and if I said 'no', I would be lying. So I said nothing. But my silence said enough for me.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. "Who is the father?" But he didn't let me answer. "I can't believe you slept with one of the Selected and you're refusing me right now. What is wrong with you?"

"Does it help if I tell you I don't know who the father is?" I said softly. I know it was a lie, but I didn't feel it would be wise to tell him it was none of the Selected.

"What? You're joking, right?" I shook my head, unable to speak. "This is even worse! You sleep around and then you're pregnant and you don't know who the father is? And you want me to cover for you? You're insane." he hissed through his teeth, and he started pacing back and forth in the Barn aisle, between the Stalls. But if he wanted the Crown, he might still accept.

I sighed and rested my head against the wall, willing my tears to stay in my body.

"Fine." he said. "I'll think about it, just give me a day or two, okay?" he asked me, his brow still furrowed. "This isn't something light, and I just need some time to process it."

I nodded, and he walked away. "Tristan, wait." I called to him softly.

He turned around. "What, now?"

"Please don't say anything to anybody. I trusted you with this secret." I pleaded.

He frowned, and then nodded. "Okay." I guess if he accepted, he wouldn't want his wife's reputation to be damaged. I let him walk away and waited for him to be out of sight before slipping down the wall and squatting on the floor, my tears streaming down my cheeks, sobbing silently. This had not turned out how I had expected it to.


	38. Chapter 38

**wow... this is the second to last chapter. hope you like it =)**

 ** _Chapter 37_**

I don't know how much time passed before I finally dried my cheeks and tears, but it felt good to cry. I just wished I could stop crying on my own and have someone to cry with, or to comfort me. I knew Westley would, because he said I would always have his shoulders to cry on, but right now, after the disaster with Tristan, I didn't have the energy to do anything else. So I straightened my shoulders and held my head high and walked back to my room, thankfully encountering no one on my way there.

Anna wasn't in my room either, so it was just me with myself. I stripped my red dress off and pulled on some shorts and t-shirt, with a pair of comfortable socks and undid my bun, letting my long hair flow around my shoulders. Right now, I just wanted to be a little girl with no problems whatsoever. I laid down in my bed, hugging the biggest pillow I owned and, again, let the tears flow. I don't really know when I fell asleep, but Anna woke me up to get ready for dinner.

"No, Anna. I'm not going. Please have my dinner brought up here." I said, my back to her.

She sat on the bed next to me and smoothed my hair down, untangling them. "Oh, Rosaline. I hurt so much for you. I wish I could do something to ease your pain and give you a solution on a silver platter. But this is yours alone to find. I can't tell you who to love." I sighed, but her kind words went straight to my heart. I don't know what I would do with an indifferent maid. But Anna was more than a maid. She was what kept me going, even through the tough parts of life.

"Thank you, Anna. Did you have the chance to think about my offer to be my personal assistant? Because it's still on." I said, fiddling with a strand of hair.

"I have, yes." she softly said.

"And?" I turned around on my bed to face her.

"I'm sorry I'll have to pass the offer. I'm very happy serving you as your maid, and I don't think I have what it takes to survive the stress and pressure of an assistant all day long. I'm sorry." She looked at her hands in her lap.

"It's alright, Anna. Don't worry. Besides, I don't think I could get a better maid or friend than you." I took her hand in mine and smiled. "I just hope you won't decide to quit too soon. I'll need you for some time."

"Don't worry, My Lady. I have no plans of going anywhere."

"You don't? Don't you have a boyfriend or a fiancé or something?"

She blushed and smiled. "I do. But he's in the Palace, too, so there's no need to go anywhere."

"Aw, Anna. I'm really glad to here that! Who is he?" then I blushed, too. "No, you don't have to tell me. It's your private life, I'm sorry."

"I'm carrying a big secret of yours, you can carry mine, too." she smiled. "He's an officer, and he's in the King's personal guard."

My eyes widened. "Then I know him. His guards rotate but I know all of them. What's his name?"

"Riley Jacobs."

I gasped. "What? The one with the amazing green eyes?"

She giggled. "Yes. But what is it with you and eyes? Do you know everyone's eye colour?"

I chuckled. "Um, yeah. Some have obsessions over hands or noses – like mom – and I have an obsession for eyes. My favourites are the green ones. Any kind of green."

We both laughed.

"You know," I said to Anna. "Screw dinner. Why don't you have caramel ice cream brought up here with two spoons."

"Two, My Lady?"

"Yes, one for me, and one for you. Unless you have a date with Officer Jacob, of course." I wiggled my eyebrows.

"Oh, dear, no. He's on duty all night until tomorrow morning. I'll have some Ice-cream and a couple spoons brought up." she said smiling, and went away to get just that.

Under normal circumstances, I would have done this with my lovely sisters, but I didn't want to explain why, even if Rachel already knew. But anyway, Anna came back with our 'dinner', and we actually ate the whole thing, just the two of us, and read quotes from one of our favourite books. It was the best girls' night I had done in a long time. All these boys had prevented me from doing this kind of thing.

The next morning, my stomach made me understand that eating half a box of caramel ice-cream was not the best idea in the world. After he was done lecturing me, I pulled on a dress – a creamy colour 50's style dress with a large light blue satin ribbon at the waist – and some shoes after Anna had fixed my hair and make-up, and headed for the stairs. I straightened my shoulders and held my head high, because nothing was wrong, and I was totally fine. It was Thursday and I needed to decide the next day who I would marry and spend my life with. But I was totally fine. I started to feel dizzy and sat on the stairs, closed my eyes and focused on breathing in and out slowly. Actually, no, I was not fine. At all.

When the dizziness passed, I pulled myself together and went down to breakfast, as if nothing was wrong and I had been there with everyone the previous night.

Maggie was next to me, this time. "Rose," she whispered. "Are you okay?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine." she planted a kiss on my cheek and resumed eating.

I gazed over at the men's table, and noticed that they weren't as loud as usual. Tristan was furrowing his brow, probably thinking about what we had talked about; Kurt was talking silently with Westley – from what I understood, they became great friends during the Selection – and Nigel was listening to them silently. It sure changed from five weeks ago when there were twenty-five excited boys in the Palace. It was down to four, now, and tomorrow would be decisive.

I spent my morning in Father's office and summarized some documents for him. At least it helped me forget about what I still needed to do. And we also talked about my next visit.

"Oh, and Father?"

"Yes, Rose?" he lifted his eyes from his work.

"Tomorrow night I'll be choosing the One on the _Report._ "

He lifted an eyebrow. "Already? Who's is going to be?" he asked me, putting his work on the table.

"It's going to be a surprise for everyone." Ha. It was even a surprise for me.

He frowned. "Don't do this too fast, Rose. You still have time."

I shrugged. "I know." But I didn't have the time. In five or six weeks, the Baby would be showing. So I needed to get married fast, so we could say it was a honeymoon Baby. It would show, real fast, true, but I could just say I'm bloated. But Doctor Armin would find out eventually. I sighed.

Lunch came around, narrowing the remaining time I had left to talk to Westley.

Tristan avoided me after lunch, quickly walking away to wherever he was going. Nigel seemed a bit preoccupied as well and went I-don't-know-where. Kurt and Westley headed to the Men's Parlour together and I didn't know how to get to Westley alone. I went to the Women's Room and chose a book, which I took with me. I walked up to the stairs between floors two and three, so I could hear when Westley would come to his room. I read a couple chapters but my mind couldn't concentrate, and I had to read each paragraph like two or three times before it actually printed itself in my mind. I closed the book and listened to the unsynchronized tick-tocks of the clocks resonating in the hall.

I closed my eyes, and I might have dozed off for a little while, because music jerked me up from my fitful sleep. I rubbed my eyes, careful not to smudge the make-up and walked down to the second floor. I realized the music was coming from Westley's room. This was the first time I actually heard him play. I waited a few minutes behind his door, unable to bring myself to interrupt him. But I had to, so I knocked, hoping he would here me above his music.

A few seconds later he opened, a grin on his face, and his violin and bow in one hand.

"Ah, darling. Come to listen to my music?" I nodded. "Finally." he said, and he closed the door; he invited me to sit on the small couch, and I obeyed.

"So, what do you want to hear?" he was really excited about this. How long had he been waiting for me to come?

"Anything. I just want to hear you play." I said with the happiest voice I had.

"Okay." He placed the bow on the strings and closed his eyes. He let his bow dance on his violin, as though it was the bow leading his arm and not the opposite. The music was enchanting, and I could easily forget all that was around me if I closed my eyes. It was like he was telling a poem but with music. The notes were sometimes fast, and sometimes slow. It triggered something in me, and I felt my throat tighten and the tears swell in my eyes.

I put a hand over my mouth and managed to smother the first sob. I cried silently, not wanting him to stop. But he didn't see me, because his eyes were still closed and he was too engrossed in his music. I was glad he didn't see me cry, though. But then, a sob came out, and I couldn't hold them in anymore.

He stopped playing at once and swiftly put his instrument back in its velvet case.

"Darling, what's wrong?" he said, sitting next to me and wrapping his arms around me. I clung to him, cuddled against his shirt. He held me tight and let me cry without saying or asking anything. Stupid pregnancy hormones. If I was my normal self, I wouldn't be crying all the time. But then again, I wouldn't be in this situation, and I wouldn't be in a rush to find my husband.

He drew small soothing circles on my back with one hand, while the other rested around me, like a safe haven. After who-knows-how-long, I finally calmed down, with only some sporadic sobs.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on, darling? Or do you want to stay here like this without saying anything and just cry?" he asked with a tender voice, kissing my hairline.

I sighed. It was now or never. I stayed exactly as I was, wrapped in his arms and clinging to him, and asked the fateful question. "Westley, would you consider adoption?"

I felt him smile in my hair. "Are you thinking about Lily, the little girl at the orphanage?"

A chuckle mixed with a sob came out of my throat. "Not necessarily, but why not?"

"Of course I would. I think adopting is very noble." He said, seeming to measure his words carefully.

"And would you still think it noble to adopt a child that is mine but not yours?" I asked softly, afraid of the question myself. But instead of freezing and backing away like Tristan did, he held me closer to him.

"Rose, who's the father of your baby?" he whispered, slightly rocking us back and forth.

His question took me aback, but I still managed to answer. "It's not one of the Selected." I replied, the very words burning my tongue. "But how do you know? You don't seem surprised..." this was starting to freak me out.

He sighed. "Please tell me it's not what I think it is. Look, I'm sorry. I read your papers on the flight back from Carolina. The folder was under my seat, and I didn't want to step on it, so I grabbed it. Some papers were sticking out of it and a few words caught my attention." I could hear the tears in his voice.

"What words?" I faced him, this time.

"Rape, Heir, Law. Among others." He locked eyes with me. "Please tell me it's not what I think it is, Rose. Is Prince Philippe the father?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

The words were stuck in my throat, so I just nodded, and closed my eyes, the tears I was trying to keep inside spilling down my cheeks. He hugged me close to him. "Darling, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." He rocked me back and forth, crying with me, too. "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Between sobs and tears, I managed to tell him what I had told Rachel: the whole story.

"You know," he said after I had finished talking. "I was actually wondering about it. I saw you several times holding your belly like a pregnant mother would do. And when you told me that Philippe had come to look for something but didn't find it, it took me some time, but I unconsciously put the pieces together. Maybe that's why I wasn't surprised when you told me."

I tried to breathe in and out, in order to calm down a bit.

"Rose," he said, looking at me straight in the eyes. "I don't have much to offer you. I have my music, my shoulders you can cry on, my arms to run to, and, of course, my shirts to paint."

We both chuckled. "I'm sorry about that." I said, still chuckling with tears, and wiping away the smudged make-up on his white shirt, but making it even worse.

"I love you, Rose. So, if you'll have me with the little I have to offer you, I want to be your husband and the father of your beautiful baby. I want to protect you in any way I can, and this is the first step." he cupped my face in his hands and rubbed my wet cheeks with his thumbs, smiling.

"I'm not whole anymore. Are you sure you still want me like this? I'm ruined goods."

He smiled and slightly shook his head, pulling me close to him in a hug. His lips were at my ear. "Darling, you're perfect. And you should know something else."

"What?" I asked him, backing away a little so I could see his green eyes.

"All of me loves all of you. Outside and inside." He gently placed his hand on my abdomen. "And there's enough love in my heart for you, your baby, and all the next ones we're going to have."

I have cried and half laughed, because it was like the fog had lifted over my heart: I could see now that it had always been Westley. His words healed my heart and I knew there would be love, there, for him. "So, you'll have me?" I asked, hopeful.

"Yes, darling. Yes, every single day of my life." he leaned in closer to me and rested his lips on mine, kissing me gently and tenderly, like I could break anytime. I wanted his kisses and his touch to never end. I was ready to have him as my husband. I grabbed his shirt and pulled it out of his pants, exploring his back underneath it. His muscles flexed as he moved his arms and wrapped me in his sweet embrace, kissing my face and neck, and shoulders. I wanted him, and only him. After some time like this that none of us wanted to end, we pulled away and smiled.

"I can't believe it took me this long to realize you were the one I loved." I said in his ear.

"Well, better late than never, right?" we both laughed.

"Yeah, better late than never." I repeated. I looked at the clock. "Oops, we're late for dinner."

He turned his head and looked at the time. "Yep. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no." Well, yes, I was hungry of him right now.

"Good, neither am I. Come on." He pulled me up and swept me in his arms, and laid me on his bed, climbing over me and resting next to me. We were both face to face, our legs intertwined. He caressed my cheek, and my arm, going down to my waist and my hip. But he didn't go further.

He chuckled.

"What's funny?" I asked him, bopping his nose with my finger.

"It all started with a thunderstorm."

I smiled. "Really? Didn't it all start with the Selection?"

"Yeah, but I fell in love with you the moment you stepped in my room to check if I was alright. I saw then that you had the kindest most caring and generous heart a woman could carry, and it made me undeniably fall for you. I honestly didn't know what I would do with my life if you had sent me home."

"Well, now you're here, covering up an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. I don't think that was what you imagined, right?"

"No, it wasn't. But I'm glad to do it. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What if he finds out you lied to him and asks for a paternity test: can you refuse it to him?"

"I don't know. But if he finds out, the worst that can happen is Word War Five."

He gulped and widened his eyes. "You're not serious."

"It's the worst scenario I could think of." I shook my head at the mere thought.

We talked like that for hours, not noticing the sky becoming darker and darker. I turned my back to him and he spooned behind me, protectively resting his hand on my abdomen, and we fell asleep like that, still all dressed up in our day clothes.

We both jerked from our sleep, early the next morning, when his door was almost banged down by a guard, none other than Officer Riley Jacobs.

"She's here, your Majesty." he said to Father looming behind him.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Okay, who found the _Amazing Kiera Cass_ quote in this chapter? (I'm not sure if it's from the Elite or the One, though. I lended my books to a friend so I can't check^^)**

 **One more chapter left... plus the surprise... wow, what an adventure, I almost don't want it to end ;-) You guys are so awesome  
**


	39. Chapter 39

**Ugh... Last. Chapter. Guys. _  
_**

 ** _Chapter 38_**

"Rosaline Sophia Amandine Schreave. What on earth are you doing in that boy's bed!?" he said as he pulled me away from Westley. I grabbed my shoes and gazed one more time at Westley who was helpless on his bed, held by two guards. Father dragged me to his office.

"What do you think you're doing?" he said, angry. "What happened last night? I though you were just having dinner with him, when I saw you both not here for dinner. And then I wanted to make sure you had slept in your room but you weren't there. Explain."

"Father. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can do whatever I want."

"You know the Illéan Law. If word gets out that you slept with him-"

"I slept in his bed, yes, but we _didn't_ have s-"

"Alright, alright." Father cut me short. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you sleep there instead of in your room?" he furrowed his brow.

"Because we talked late in the night and we both fell asleep. Now, if you'll let me go, I have to get ready." I stormed out of the room, Father still talking to me. Uh-oh. He hated it when we walked away when he was talking. Too late, I was out, now.

Anna was in my room, waiting for me.

"I'm sorry, My Lady. I tried to refuse his entrance to your room, but-"

"But he's the King, I know. It's not your fault, it's mine." I walked to the bathroom and quickly stripped my creamy coloured dress off and took a shower. "Anna?" I called out from under the water.

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Tonight I'm going to announce the One on the _Report_. I need a special dress."

"It's almost done. I had the seamstresses work on it for a week; I knew you would need it fast."

"Really? Anna, thank you so much."

"Oh, you'll say thank you when you see it, My Lady. It's the most gorgeous dress I have laid eyes upon. You'll see." she giggled.

I towelled myself and pulled on a simple turquoise tea-length butterfly-sleeve dress and went to breakfast. Thank goodness, Westley was there, untouched. I was afraid Father would have him beaten up after this morning's incident. We kept gazing at each other from across the room. Kurt nudged Westley in the ribs, and whispered something to him, to which Westley smiled and nodded. Kurt laughed and hey both resumed eating. I just realized I hadn't puked that morning. But it could come at any given time. I quickly swallowed the anti-vomiting pill and finished my breakfast.

I did not spend the morning in Father's office, because I feared he would lecture me. Instead, I called Everest and talked about the _Report_. We needed to be on point tonight and I wanted to make sure everything was ready. He was going to do a small add that would air four or five times during the day, announcing the One was going to be chosen in the evening. I refused to tell him who it was going to be, I wanted everyone to be surprised. Everyone except Him, me, and Father, of course. Ugh. I can't even believe this happened.

After lunch, I went outside to prepare my Proposal. Nigel came to seek me out.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Rose?"

"Sure." I said, smiling and inviting him to sit next to me.

"Look, I thought about what you asked me the other day. If I would consider adoption. And after seeing again those pictures of you at the Orphanage, I would totally adopt, because I know it would make you happy, and that's the most important thing. I don't care about my ideal life, I just want you to be happy."

I sighed. "Thanks, Nigel. Those kids were so amazing. I don't even know which one I would adopt." I said with a smile.

"Why not that baby girl you held in your arms? Half of the pictures are of you carrying her." he smiled. "You look quite beautiful with a baby in your arms."

"Thank you." I said smiling shyly.

"I heard you're going to choose the One tonight?"

I frowned. "How do you know?"

"It's airing on the radio and on TV. You can't miss it."

"Oh. Well, yeah I will."

"Rose!" Tristan called out in a pleasant voice. "I was looking all over for you. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Um, I'm talking with Nigel right now."

"Please, it's urgent." Tristan insisted.

"Tristan, you're not King yet." Nigel said, sarcastically, sending lightning bolts with his eyes. "Wait your turn."

"Rosaline, please? It's what about you told me yesterday." he pointedly lifted an eyebrow.

Nigel stormed away, cursing under his breath.

"Was that necessary, Tristan?" I asked him.

"Yes. Look. I thought about your request of yesterday, and I accept." I didn't say anything and just stared at him. Funny how his gorgeous eyes had no more effect on me, now. "Rose, you can't choose them."

"Why not? Give me a good reason not to." I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for his answer.

"Isn't it obvious? They're Fives. And Kurt is a Seven, but he's out already. I'm a Two, with political training. My father trained me as an ambassador for several years now. I know a lot of things they don't. And they don't have what it takes to be King. I do."

"You do know you wouldn't be King, right?"

"Prince Consort, King, it's the same thing: I'd rule the country with you." he took my hands in his. "Rose, you have to choose me: if you send me home, I'll have to follow in my father's footsteps, and I have no interest whatsoever to take over my father's occupation. I could use here what I learned and be a great help to you."

"So it's only a job for you?" I said, irritated.

"No, no, no, of course not. I thought it was obvious that I loved you, too." he said frowning.

"But you love the Crown more, now." I accused him.

He sighed. "Look, I just can't go home. I don't care who the father of your baby is. I'll adopt him or her if you want. I just need you to choose me. Westley and Nigel don't have anything to offer you besides their music. And that's not going to help you rule the country. And they don't have the necessary authority. I have it. Did you see how Nigel stormed off without my saying anything?" he chuckled, but I didn't find this funny at all.

"Tristan, I'll take this in consideration, okay? But I need the rest of the afternoon alone to choose, if you don't mind."

He smiled, seemingly satisfied. "I know you'll make the best choice." He slightly kissed me on the lips and walked away, a small spring in his step.

Now this was confusing me even more. I thought about it a lot and practiced my proposal speech.

Anna had asked me to come at least an hour and a half before the _Report_ to get ready, so I headed back to my room at half past three. I opened the door of my room and the first thing I saw was the dress. Anna was right: never had I ever laid my eyes upon something so exquisite. I froze and just stared at the red sleeveless gown with white roses sewn all over the bodice and the top half of the huge skirt.

"Do you like it?" Anna softly asked from behind me.

"Like it? I love it! But how on earth are they going to do something better than this for the wedding?" I asked, awed.

"They're already working on it as we speak. I've seen the sketches and I can assure you it is going to be even greater than this one."

I was speechless. Anna gently pushed me towards the shower so I could wash my hair. She dried them and fixed them in a low bun. The dress had enough flowers on it, so I didn't need anything else on me besides a tiara with a red ruby on it. And my white gloves, of course. I pulled the gorgeous dress on and admired my reflection in the mirror. The skirt was so big, I couldn't see myself completely.

"I don't know who you are going to choose, My Lady, but they are all going to be quite awestruck by your beauty." she smiled in the mirror and I smiled back. She looked at her watch. "It's time Rosaline. Knock'em dead." She said with a sly grin.

I hugged her close. "Thank you so much." then I opened the door, and inhaled deeply before carefully walking down the steps.

"Five minutes!" the stage director called out. I felt my hands get sweaty in my gloves, but I couldn't go back now, I had to end this thing. I entered the studio, and every single person stopped talking or doing what they were doing and just stared at me. I kept my head high and walked to my seat. Nobody was moving, and we could here a pin drop.

Everest was the first to recover from the shock. "Rosaline!" he breathed out. "You look- there are no words to describe you. Beautiful isn't good enough. Divine? Yeah, probably divine is the best word. Wow."

A murmur spread around the room and the director snapped back to reality and called for one more minute. I stayed seated and stared straight ahead, memorizing his name – imagine if I had a blank and couldn't remember his name – and my proposal.

The Anthem played and Everest jumped in as soon as it vas over. "Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! Tonight is a night we have all been waiting: the end of the Selection. Tonight, you will meet your new future Prince. But before that really exciting part, let's take a look at some pictures of Princess Rosaline's last visit to the Sonnage University."

Pictures of us chilling with out drink and gazing at the ocean showed up. Then of us the amphitheatre taking notes 'under cover', and then the three of us answering questions, and finally a few pictures about that boy who kissed me. Eversest gasped and Kurt burst out laughing, so Everest asked him to tell us what happened there. It was really funny, and everyone laughed.

"Okay, we have to do one more thing before hearing the Princess' verdict. We are going to here what the boys have to say about all this. Sir Nigel, do you think you have a chance, tonight?" he put the mike in front of him.

"I wish I did, but I have a feeling I've been overtaken by Tristan, here." he said angry at his rival. Aw, Nigel. I'm truly sorry for what happened earlier. I wanted to go hug him on the spot, but I couldn't.

"Oh, well, we'll see what Rosaline has to say about that. Sir Westley?"

Westley had his hands in his pockets, and shrugged, a mischievous smile on his lips. "I think I have a good chance, Everest. Count me in."

"Good. But you know the Princess has the last word on this, right?"

"Sure." he said, flashing me a grin.

"Sir Kurt?" Everest asked.

"Oh, no." He waved the thought away. "These boys here have a much better chance than I do. I'm rooting for my good friend Westley, though." he said looping an arm over his shoulders and rubbing Westley's already messy hair.

Everest chuckled. "Okay. And Sir Tristan?"

"I know I'm going to be the chosen One. Rosaline knows I love her and that I would be the perfect Prince for Illéa." Wow. He was very confident.

"All right. Now for the good part. Gentlemen, I want you all to stand here in a line. If the Princess calls you, you go join her over there. Princess Rosaline?" he called me. I stood and strolled regally to the centre stage. "Whenever you're ready, Princess."

I inhaled deeply. "Sir-" I saw Tristan ready to jump at his name. "Westley Alton." I called out, glad I didn't have a sudden blank. Westley grinned from ear to ear and joined me in the centre of the Studio. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tristan fuming.

I didn't have to pretend to smile, because all I could see was Westley's love and happiness in his dark green eyes. I took his hands in mine.

"Um, I'm not going to get down on one knee." I started.

"Aw, why not?" he said slyly.

"Because of my dress- oh, okay, fine." I got down on one knee.

"No, no, no, no, I was kidding!" he chuckled.

"Well, it's too late, now." I replied with an amused grin. "Westley, I hope you do know I'm not the average girl: I can't cook – I can barely scramble eggs and make tea – and I can't iron your shirts – I only know how to ruin them." He chuckled. Did I see tears in his eyes? "All I know to do is wear a tiara, be pretty and rule a country." The whole audience chuckled. "You know my good side and my flaws. I have a beautiful burden on my shoulders, and you know my heart beats with Illéa, and I hope yours will, too. So, will you be my Prince, and help me with this awesome task? Will you marry me?"

A happy laughing sob came out of his throat and he helped me up. "Yes, Darling, Yes. A thousand times Yes. My heart beats with yours, and with Illéa." and he kissed me, Live, in front of the whole country. His arms were wrapped around my waist and I loosely looped mine around his shoulders. He leaned against me, tipping me over, but holding me firmly in his strong arms.

I heard the audience 'aww' and clap. They were meeting their new Prince, right now, who was passionately kissing his fiancée.

"Okay, okay," Everest said. "Sir Westley, I need you to do one more thing-"

"Not now." Westley waved him away, and resumed kissing me. Everest chuckled, and let us be for a little longer.

Finally, out of breath, and totally oblivious to the people surrounding us, we parted and rested out foreheads together, enjoying out first engaged moment. There would still be a lot to come.

"Okay, can I talk, now?" Everest asked, pretending to be annoyed.

We both chuckled and faced the audience.

"Sir Westley. I need you to do one more thing. In this little box is a collection of five engagement rings, and you have to choose one for your fiancée." Everest held the box opened for Westley, who's fingers slowly flew over the rings, carefully choosing the one he liked best.

"This one." He pulled it out and I took my glove off. He slipped the gorgeous rose diamond ring on my finger and he kissed me again. Everest closed the _Report_ , the Anthem played again, and it was over.

Kurt was the first one to join us. He took both of us in his arms. "Congratulations! Aw, I'm so happy for you guys!" he said genuinely.

"Thank you Kurt." I said. Then he hugged Westley. They were like brothers and I had a feeling we would see a lot of Kurt in the next months and years. Nigel walked slowly towards us, his hands in his pockets.

He smiled sadly. "Congratulations, Rose. Westley's a good guy." Then he came closer and hugged me. "If you had chosen Tristan, I don't think I would have accepted it. But Westley's perfect for you."

"Thank you, Nigel. You know, our date on the beach was the best part of the Selection, I'll never forget it, and I'll cherish the memory for years." I whispered in his ear.

"Me too."

"Good luck, Nigel. I really hope you find love and that you can settle down."

He smiled and nodded, before shaking Westley's hand and congratulating him, too. Tristan forced himself to come congratulate us, but he was quickly gone. I hoped he wouldn't sabotage me by revealing my secret, though.

Westley wrapped his arms around my waist again, pulling me close to him, forgetting we were not alone. "I didn't get the chance to tell you how exquisitely breathtaking you are tonight, darling." he said with a mischievous smile and kissed me with all the love he had in his heart. Phil could come at me, now; I was not afraid because Westley was by my side, and he was a steady rock I was anchored to.

°°~THE END~°°

* * *

 **Okay, wow. I was so glad when the majority of you were Team Westley! yay! (Sorry rysaspirit, but it wasn't Kurt^^) **

**I stumbled upon Mak Tumong's work (he's a dress designer) on Pinterest the other day and immediately fell in love with his dresses. Rosaline's dress was inspired by one of his dresses (you can look for his dresses on facebook, Pinterest or Instagram)  
**

 **Okay, now for the SURPRISE... come back tomorrow and look for the last page of this story, it will be there... ;-)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Okay, Hi again everyone!**

 **Thank you so, so, so much for following me until here. You made this story happen with your amazing Characters. So, as a special thanks (and as promised), I have a _surprise_ for you...**

* * *

 _ **Epilogue**_

I was the only one representing the French Royal Family: Father had not totally recovered from his heart attack, and Mother didn't want to leave him alone; and Fréd had parties planned until the end of the Summer. So there I was, in the Angeles Cathedral, waiting for the ceremony to start, sitting next to the aisle so I could get a good look at the bride. I fiddled with the booklet we were given, with the program and all. On the front was a picture of Rosaline and Westley looking at each other. Love spilled all over the picture and my heart broke a little at the sight.

Then I remembered what I was: a jerk. A douche-bag. And a rapist. I closed my eyes, willing the memory of that night to go away. But it still haunts me to this day. I acted on insticts and wine – mostly wine, though – and it was kind of an act of drunken despair: that was the only idea I had to have her change her mind, cancel the Selection and marry me.

But when she freaked out the next morning, I couldn't admit to her what I had done. So I let it go and let her start her Selection. But it was agony for me to see her date all these guys. Jealousy was eating me from the inside. And when I came back to claim my rights – I admit, I didn't really do it the best way, but I thought if I could scare her off a little, she wouldn't have another choice than to marry me – and there was none, I felt like an idiot. I had screwed everything. Especially the woman I loved.

But when I saw at how fast she ended the Selection after I left, something in me told me she had lied to me – I still had no idea how she did that – and I had to make sure.

The organ played the wedding march, jerking me back to reality. We all stood as one, as Rosaline slowly walked down the aisle, holding her Father's arm. She was so beautiful and breathtaking, I couldn't resist the smile that formed on my lips. But when she passed in front of me, she saw me and flinched, and avoided my gaze, looking straight ahead to her husband-to-be.

Westley was there, waiting for her, a gigantic grin on his face and tears in his eyes. Kurt was his bestman, and Adam, Nigel and Evan were Westley's grooms. She finally joined him, and the King gave his daughter's hand to Westley. They looked at each other, but I'm not sure they were listening to what the priest was saying. I know I wasn't. I wanted so bad to be in Westley's place, vowing my love to the woman of my dreams.

But instead, they vowed and promised their loved to each other, exchanged rings, and Westley vowed to Illéa, too – he was being crowned Prince at the same time – and they were Man and Wife. I physically felt my heart break in thousands of pieces. But this was it. It was the end.

After the Ceremony, they quickly jumped into the Royal white and gold Carriage. All the guests followed them in our respective Limos and cars. It was a one-of-a-kind procession, with guard on motorcycles flanking us all along the way. When Illéa did something big, it did something _big._

The reception took place in the Grand Ball Room of the Palace, where footmen were walking among the guests with silver trays piled with hors-d'ouvres, petit fours, canapés and Champagne flutes. I downed a glass of Champagne in one gulp before lining in the queue of Royals and nobles congratulating the newlyweds.

When I finally got to them, I tried to smiled, but it came out a sad smile. "Congratulations, Rosaline." I managed to say. But she didn't say anything. She just stared at me with a death glare I had never seen in her eyes before. She held her head high and straightend her shoulders, and discreetly rested a hand on her abdomen, which made me cringe inside.

Westley protectively stepped in front of his lovely bride. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I was invited, like every Royal around the world."

"You're not welcomed here." he said frowning.

I sighed. "I know I'm not. Just take good care of them for me, okay?" I asked him with the most steady voice I could muster, but I felt a sob forming in my throat. Rosaline eyes widened in shock. I smiled to her and swiftly walked away. I knew I wouldn't be welcomed here any longer so I called my chauffeur and he drove me to the airport where my Jet was waiting for me.

I promised myself I would never set foot in Illéa again. Seeing her with our Child on TV was going to be agony enough. But a had made enough damage as it was. I smiled when I pictured Rosaline putting her hand on her abdomen when I said _Take care of them for me_. Yes, she was withchild, and yes, it was mine.

But I left the woman of my dreams behind with our Child. She deserved to be happy, and Westley would give her that. Good-bye, Rosie. I love you.

* * *

 **For the curious ones out there:**

Rosaline gave birth to a little boy named Ashland Semour Philippe Schreave – who looked exactly like his father with blue eyes and blond hair, but with his mother's nose and generous heart. When he was two years old, they decided to adopt Lilian, from the Orphanage, but she had already been adopted by a lovely family, so they adopted another six months old little girl – Ellen Mariah Schreave – before having two other boys of their own: Ethan Kurt Westley Schreave and Cameron Adam Joshua Schreave.

Kate-Lyn and Adam had three gorgeous girls and lived in the Palace with the rest of the Royal Family.

 **x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Well, every good thing has an end... thanks again, my awesome readers, you made this adventure possible, and my dream to be a good author come true =) thanks for your support, I love you guys! you're awesome!**

 **Now I'm gonna take a break in writing and read the two fantasy series I have put aside for this summer... and work on my next Book idea (hoping to see it on my shelf in a few years^^)**

 **have a great summer, y'all!**

 **byeee**

 **~ _Abizeau_**

 **ps: I might take some of your super sweet/encouraging reviews and print them out to keep to read and re-read... Doubt and fear often makes our mind a home as writers, and you guys might just be what I need to never quit and continue persuing my dream to be pulished author! =)**

 **This story was inspired by the Great Kiera Cass (maybe that's why it was good^^), but I hope I'll be able to produce something as good from scratch ;-) *yikes***


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